“I junk for a living so I thought whatever I found down there I could recycle,” said County. County made the horrific find seven feet below the surface.

“I was bringing it up to the shallows when it came open on its own and what turned out to be a dead cat came floating up out of it. It was incredibly gross," he said.

County said he couldn’t even breathe when he saw the cat.

“At first it was just a lot of shock. Then when I came up for air and I looked at it I noticed it had orange spray paint on it. Other people who come here to swim tell me that disturbing find makes them leery of what else could be in this water," he said.

Raymon Harris often comes to the creek for peace and quiet, but now said he may change his mind.

“That’s disgusting. I feel like if you don’t want the cat, you should take it to a shelter or one of the hospitals. Drop it off somewhere. You don’t have to put it in the microwave, there’s no sense for that. I really hope they catch him," Harris said.

Humane officers said they hope to solve the case and County hopes he never makes another find like this again.

“People come here to fish and swim. Jefferson County deserves a whole lot better than finding something like that," County said.

Humane officers said the microwave is an older model and the cat is a female Calico.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NEWS9 Crimebusters Tipline at 1-800-862-BUST.