North Carolina authorities say people have been throwing kittens off of two state highways, and some into the Neuse River below.

News outlets report the Craven County Sheriff's office says they've received "multiple reports" of kittens being tossed from cars along U.S. 17 and U.S. 70. Officials say they're "aggressively" investigating the incidents.

Sun Journal reports the sheriff said both live and dead cats have been recovered and added that some were apparently thrown from a nearby bridge into the river in eastern North Carolina.

In a Facebook post , officials said extra patrols have been assigned to the bridge and the sheriff's department is monitoring video taken by cameras on the bridge.