West Ham defender Kurt Zouma was banned Wednesday from keeping cats for five years and ordered to carry out 180 hours of community service as a punishment for kicking and slapping his pet cat in abuse caught on video.
The France international received his sentence at Thames Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty last week to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
In the footage of the abuse that took place on February 6 and surfaced on social media, the soccer player could be seen kicking his Bengal cat across his kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head.
Zouma’s younger brother, Yoan, filmed the incident involving the cat and posted it on Snapchat.
He drew international condemnation after footage emerged of him volleying the pet across his kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head, saying: “I swear I’ll kill it.”
District judge Susan Holdham described the actions as “disgraceful and reprehensible.”
Zouma pleaded guilty last week to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a cat, after blaming the family pet for damaging a chair.
Holdham said: “The cat looked up to you to care for its needs.”
“On that date, in February you did not provide for its needs but you caused unnecessary suffering for your own amusement.”
His two Bengal male cats have since been signed over to be rehomed.
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