Chronicle Editor
PREMIER League ace Kurt Zouma could be prosecuted after being filmed booting his cat like a football across his kitchen floor.
The West Ham star is also seen slapping his pet’s face.
The club has condemned his actions and will “deal with the matter internally”.
The West Ham defender is seen attacking the pet at his £2 million mansion while his brother films him.
Zouma (27) drops the moggy and boots it in mid-air across the kitchen floor.
The French international then chases the animal around his dining room in front of a child as the cameraman laughs.
Zouma also hurls a pair of designer shoes at the pet, which frantically tries to escape.
In a final clip, he is seen forcefully slapping the cat in the face, and out of the child’s arms.
While the Met Police says it won’t launch a probe, thousands of people have contacted the RSPCA.
The charity has its own powers, meaning it could choose to bring its own prosecution.
Zouma issued a grovelling apology for the attack and insisted it was an isolated incident.
He said: “I want to apologise for my actions. There are no excuses for my behaviour, which I sincerely regret. I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video. I would like to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy. They are loved and cherished by our entire family, and this behaviour was an isolated incident that will not happen again.”
It is understood the £30 million former Chelsea player was furious that the Bengal, an expensive breed of domesticated cat that looks like a small leopard, messed up his house.
A source said: “It seemed that Kurt had got angry at the cat for accidentally smashing some sort of vase and tearing down a light fixture from the kitchen cupboard.
“But what he does next is completely unacceptable. Kurt kicks it, throws shoes at it and then slaps it. The poor cat looked so scared.”
The disturbing footage was filmed by Zouma’s brother Yoan and posted to Snapchat on Sunday afternoon, a day after the centre-back appeared for West Ham in the FA Cup.
The first clip was captioned “sa commence”, which translates into English as “it is starting”. It is replaced with a dozen laughing face emojis in later clips.
Disgusted animal welfare charities slammed the Premier League ace, who could now face a criminal probe.
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This is a very upsetting video. It’s never acceptable to kick, hit or slap an animal, for punishment or otherwise.”
Dr Maggie Roberts, of charity Cats Protection, said: “Any person seen or suspected of treating an animal badly, whether this is physical violence, neglect or any other form of cruelty should be reported to the RSPCA.
“The police work closely with the RSPCA to investigate cases of animal cruelty. Cats are sentient beings and experience pain and fear. Beating up a cat will only cause it to suffer physically and mentally.
“We noticed that some people viewing the video online thought it was funny. We can assure them that this is not a laughing matter.”
Last night, West Ham issued a statement “unreservedly condemning” their player’s actions
Zouma, who won the Premier League twice with Chelsea after joining them in 2014, has scored one goal in 12 games since moving to the Hammers in the summer. – The Sun
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