A video has revealed several high school students using the intestines of a dissected cat as a skipping rope.

The footage uploaded to social media site Snapchat shows a student and a teacher from Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas, holding either end of the intestines while another student jumps over it in the classroom.

The cat was reportedly being used for a high school anatomy class.

The school district told KENS-TV that the teacher in question was taught the same lesson as a student and felt it was “effective” to demonstrate how long and tough intestines are.

“This lesson really was not meant to be disrespectful or degrading in any way. And when the teacher found out that that's how it was being portrayed, they were actually very upset about it,” the North East Independent School District spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor said.

One student, defending the teacher, said she is “passionate” about her job and “inspires” the students.

The school district said neither the students nor the teacher will face punishment, although it is time to update the lesson plan.

Animal rights group PETA responded to the video, saying those involved should be held accountable for the "unethical treatment" of animal body parts, and has offered the school district the use of digital dissection resources instead of using real animals.

“Studies show that classroom animal dissection can foster callousness toward living beings, and these gruesome 'jump rope' videos are a particularly sad example,” PETA senior director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg said.