Kurt Zouma will avoid being investigated by the police, despite a video that showed him hitting his cat on three occasions.
There was understandable outrage on Monday night and Tuesday morning, after a video of Zouma kicking and slapping his cat was released by the Sun.
In the video, the West Ham defender attacks his pet in three clips, initially kicking it along the floor and later slapping it when his child holds the cat up.
Despite the disgust at the player's actions, Sky Sports report that the Met Police will not be investigating the incident, despite tougher punishment for animal cruelty coming in last summer.
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The video, which was shared to Snapchat on Sunday, is believed to have been recorded by the player's brother, Yoan, at his home.
It first shows the former Chelsea defender dropping the cat and kicking it across the floor, he is later shown chasing the pet around the house, whilst the cameraman can be heard laughing.
As well as the sound of laughter, the video was also uploaded with laughing emojis, as Zouma throws his shoes at the Bengal cat.
Finally the video captures the 27-year-old, who was out for around a month before returning against Manchester United last month, slapping the cat out of a child's hands.
The player has apologised in a statement, saying, "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 club have also said they will look into the incident, saying, "West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player, Kurt Zouma, in the video that has circulated.
"We have spoken to Kurt and will be dealing with the matter internally."
Zouma played 120 minutes on Saturday, as West Ham narrowly avoided a huge FA Cup upset to Kidderminster Harriers, scoring an equaliser in injury time in the 90 minutes and a winner in injury time in extra time.
Whether he will play in Tuesday night's game against Watford remains to be seen.
Topics: West Ham United, Premier League, Kurt Zouma
Ryan Sidle