West Ham Defender Kurt Zouma Filmed Kicking His Pet Cat In Disturbing Video

A truly horrific video has surfaced online showing Kurt Zouma kicking and slapping his cat.

The clip makes for pretty tough viewing as the West Ham defender can be seen chasing his expensive pet Bengal around the house before picking it up and drop-kicking it like a football across the kitchen.

Footage then shows another person picking the poor cat up as Zouma slaps it out of their hands.

It's understood the person filming behind the camera is Zouma's brother.

According to The Sun, the Premier League star was upset that the cat had messed up his house.

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Not only is the video very distressing to watch, but it could land the Frenchman in hot water with authorities with police well within their rights to prosecute him.

The clip itself has been doing the rounds on socia media and has now been seen by thousands of people - and it didn't take long for Zouma's employers to become aware of it either.

Now Irons officials have been forced to issue a statement of their own, condemning the defender's actions.

"West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player, Kurt Zouma, in the video that has circulated," the statement read.

"We have spoken to Kurt and will be dealing with the matter internally, but we would like to make it clear that we in no way condone cruelty towards animals."

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With his name in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Zouma has also now come out and issued an apology.

"I want to apologise for my actions. There are no excuses for my behaviour, which I sincerely regret," he said.

"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."

The 27-year-old was on the receiving end of some heavy backlash after the upsetting video emerged on social media.

It's understood the incident has been reported to the RSPCA.

"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," Dr Maggie Roberts of the Cats Protection charity said.

"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."

It remains to be seen what punishment is handed down to Zouma, although you can imagine both the Premier League or West Ham won't take it lightly.

Topics: Football News, Football, Kurt Zouma, Video, Premier League, West Ham, watch, Australia,

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry