A cat scared neighbours as they thought he was holding a rifle.

Cat illusion

Cat illusion

The furry pet was spotted lounging up in a tree but caused a stir among members of the public as they thought the four-legged animal was armed with a dangerous weapon.

And it has been reported onlookers were concerned they alerted the police in Newport, Oregon, of the sighting.

Officers arrived to the scene only to discover the cat had a branch shaped like a gun caught between its paws, although they gave the feline a ''verbal warning''.

The police took to Facebook to share the news, they wrote: ''Reports of an armed cat this morning were unfounded. The feline was contacted by our canine and was determined to be in possession of a non-lethal branch.

''The cat was given a verbal warning for posing with what could be mistaken as an assault rifle while wearing poor camouflage attire. (sic).''