The Canadian police have come under heavy criticism online after forgetting to turn the cat filter off while streaming a press conference about a double homicide.

Lucas Fowler and his American girlfriend, Chynna Noelle Deese, were found dead last Monday on the Alaska Highway, 20km south of Liard Hot Springs in British Columbia.

But when viewers tuned in at the weekend to a Facebook Live press conference, they saw a police officer – with cat ears and whiskers - speaking about the two deaths.

When alerted to the error, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia responded that they were aware of the problem and addressing it.

“Yes we are aware and addressing it as it's an automatic setting. Thank you, we will rectify and issue a video shortly” they responded to concerned viewers.

The press conference was later re-recorded minus the cat filter.

Canadian police say they are now investigating the deaths as a double homicide and have asked anyone with information to come forward.

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It's not the first time in recent months that an organisation has come a cropper because of the cat filter.

In Pakistan in June, Provincial Information Minister Yousuf Shaukat Zai was talking to local journalists at a press conference that was being broadcast via social media.

The event turned a bit awkward when cats ears and whiskers appeared on the minister's face during the live video. The auto-filter soon caught his colleague, too, who then had a similar cat's appearance.

The video immediately went viral on social media but was later deleted from the political party's official page.