The Brazilian press officer's handling of a stray cat has caused upset in some quarters and outrage at how he treated the animal.

After weeks of end to end action, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is now on a short hiatus as fans, players, and media all get ready for some exciting quarter-finals clashes starting on Friday.

Brazil will kick off this stage with a match against Croatia, and prior to the game, the South American giants held a press conference to discuss their thoughts about the competition and the upcoming game.

However, the press conference turned rather sour when a stray cat jumped up on the table that Vinicius Jr was sitting at to address a pool of waiting reporters.

Shockingly, one of Brazil's press officers grabbed the cat in a rather aggressive fashion, before flinging the poor creature onto the floor.

While the cat appeared to be unharmed, it sparked outrage among some quarters, with people quick to slam the actions of the unnamed press officer. Even the Real Madrid star appeared to be a bit uncomfortable with the team official's actions, before resuming his conference.

Have a look at the shocking video here (may be geo-restricted depending on location):

Stray cats are quite a common fixture in Qatar, and are given free license to roam without being bothered, hence why this action caused quite a bit of upset. In fact, several national teams, including England, have apparently adopted a feline friend for their stay. Named "Dave" by the Three Lions, the cat has appeared on several players' social media feeds and appears to have become an unofficial team pet for their time at this year's World cup.