In a matter of seconds, a clip of a woman petting a cat to the beat of Queen’s classic Bohemian Rhapsody went from a touching moment to an obvious insult.
The man, who The Sun chose not to name, aggressively punched his cat in the face and body, while the petrified animal bared its teeth and cringed in pain.
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Two commenters wrote in response to the nasty video that received 105,000 likes: “I laughed so hard” and “LMFAO snot flew, help!”.
But for charities, this is no joke.
They claim that such videos, found using popular hashtags, “normalize violence” against pets and encourage cruelty.
Millions of people across the country were outraged after The Sun published footage of 27-year-old West Ham footballer Kurt Zouma kicking his cat.
However, there are many such videos on the Internet, and their number is growing every day.
The Sun has found countless videos, including one showing the unfortunate animal squealing after losing its footing after cheese slices were placed on its paws, which garnered six million likes.
Others have shown pets racing towards their food bowls only to be blown away after hitting an invisible duct tape barrier. In some videos, the owners wore giant cat masks to scare their pets.
Violent attacks
When The Sun reached out to us, TikTok told us that there was “no place for this type of behavior on the platform.” However, he removed only two of the 11 clips we identified that showed varying degrees of animal abuse.
Offenders in the UK can face up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine - and Zuma, though never charged, knows all too well the consequences of his actions.
The defender was fined £250,000 - two weeks’ wages - by his East London club, dropped from the squad, lost his sponsorship deal with Adidas and had his pets confiscated by the RSPCA.
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But while overt action has been taken against the player, the heinous behavior of other online miscreants goes largely unpunished.
Many of the clips are under the same three hashtags that we have chosen not to reveal, which collectively garner over 90 BILLION views.
And in the world of social media influencers and 15 minutes of fame online, it seems like TikTok users are resorting to even more extreme measures to gain approval and followers.
In several videos, an elastic band was placed over the cat’s head to make its ears stand upright so that it looked like a rabbit.
The cruelty visibly upset many of the cats, who quickly shook their heads in different directions and hissed - a clear sign that they were upset.
These clips were accompanied by popular songs, including Candy Shop 50 Cent, which attracted even more views and likes as TikTok distributes videos to a wider audience if they have a tune that is popular on the platform.
In another, which received 20,000 likes, a woman strangled her cat, gave it a firm jaw squeeze, and slapped it while the cat tried to avoid being beaten.
Others showed distressed pets having pancakes put on their faces, forced to wear uncomfortable costumes, and more, all for “fun.”
Madison Rogers of cat charity Cat Protection told The Sun: “This kind of content desensitizes people to cat abuse and signs of stress.
Such content desensitizes people to cat abuse and signs of stress.
Madison Rogers, Cat Defense
“It’s widely available on TikTok and it worries us because people might think it’s normal and it only normalizes this kind of behavior towards pets.
“This is unacceptable or ridiculous – this is animal cruelty. This is stress and trauma for these pets. The line between candid moments and abuse is blurring.”
There are concerns that these videos, often part of TikTok challenges that encourage users to copy other clips, could lead to more violent attacks, including the troubling “crash video” trend.
Such footage, which appears on perverted fetish and sadistic sites, usually shows a woman using a stiletto heel, bare foot, or other body part to crush an animal.
Julia De Cadernet, founder of the NoToDogMeat movement, which targets countries selling dog and cat meat as food, says she has been warned about such nefarious videos on TikTok and other social media platforms.
She told The Sun: “I’ve seen bands using horrible clips they found online to get followers. Crush videos are often made by teenagers, using women who look like they could be influencers or celebrity lookalikes.
“Children are often filmed killing pets while adults are watching and laughing, and we have rescued cats from slot machines that have been grabbed by metal claws.”
Victoria Featherstone Pierce, co-founder of dog rescue charity K9 Angels, has also noticed a disturbing surge in animal cruelty videos.
She said: “There are so many cases where absolutely nothing is done. Nasty clips are broadcast for likes and laughter.
Children are often filmed killing pets while adults are watching and laughing, and we have rescued cats from arcade entertainment that have been grabbed by metal claws.
Julia De Cadernet, founder of charity NoToDogMeat
“It’s too easy to upload clips of defenseless, innocent animals getting punched and kicked - even sexually assaulted.”
Shock value
All the charities The Sun spoke to called on TikTok and other social media sites to be more proactive, picking up insults and removing clips more quickly.
Animal rights group PETA argued that “platforms profit from animal cruelty” if they don’t stop people from sharing this type of content.
It stated, “Users often post violence because of its shocking value, counting on people to share content, which directs more visitors to the platform and ultimately increases ad revenue.”
Madison Rogers of Cat Protection added that TikTok needs to find ways to “encourage users not to interact” with such content, especially because it is “self-regulating.”
She added: “They should invest in staff to look for videos of animal abuse and report it to the authorities if necessary.”
Four Paws UK were “outraged” by animal cruelty on social media and urged TikTok to take tough action to “not become synonymous with such violence”.
A spokesperson for the animal welfare organization added: “If we want to become a nation of animal lovers as we claim to be, we must not stand by and let this go unpunished.”
Asia For Animals Coalition’s global social media report found over 5,480 links to animal cruelty content on TikTok, YouTube and Facebook between July 2020 and August 2021.
TikTok has said it is asking all users to abide by its rules, which say animal cruelty must not be posted or shared.
A spokesperson told The Sun: “Animal cruelty is horrendous and there is no place for such behavior on TikTok.
“This goes against our community guidelines and we don’t hesitate to take action when people break these rules, up to and including a permanent ban from the platform.”
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