Sick Zouma copycat craze: Thugs film themselves kicking felines in horrific imitation of footballer

Thugs are filming themselves kicking cats in a horrific imitation of Premier League footballer Kurt Zouma.

The West Ham defender, 27, was filmed on Snapchat slapping, kicking and chasing his Bengal cat across the kitchen of his £2million London home last month. 

The Frenchman was condemned by his club, the RSPCA and other animal welfare groups after the video emerged, before he was forced to issue a grovelling apology.

However, the incident has now led to a rise in copycat attacks by an online group calling themselves ‘Kick the Cat Club’.

The group film their antics before circulating the disgusting footage online.

Dawn Stacey, 49, says she is now having to pay £2,000 in vet bills after her cat Murphy suffered a haemorrhage after becoming victim of an attack last week.

She told The Sun: ‘I heard Murphy trying to get through the cat flap. I came outside to help and had the shock of my life. The right side of his face looked like a helmet full of blood.

‘I cannot believe someone would do that to an innocent animal.’

Police are investigating the attacks, while animal charities have slammed the heinous attacks.

Zouma was filmed kicking and slapping his pet cat just in a Snapchat video at his London home last month

West Ham Kurt Zouma pictured during a match against Newcastle United at The London Stadium earlier this month

Nicky Trevorrow, of Cats Protection said: ‘We are imploring social media users to stop abusing their pets in the name of entertainment… the level of psychological trauma and extreme stress being inflicted on them is vast.’

Zouma’s cats were taken away by the RSPCA after the footage emerged.

West Ham also fined him two weeks’ wages, understood to be around£250,000, which the club said would be donated to animal welfare charities.