Taylor Swift loves cats, so she might be upset about the latest TikTok trend fans have come up with: Using her song “August” as a soundtrack, they pick up their cats — or other pets — and spin them around the room.
Thousands of videos have been made featuring this trend, but the British animal charity Cats Protection warns fans that all that spinning around may be harmful for your beloved kitty.
Daniel Warren-Cummings, the central behavior officer of the charity, told Metro.co.uk, “At no point should an animal deliberately be put in a position to feel fear, anxiety, frustration or experience pain for the benefit of human entertainment.”
“Cats in particular will experience extreme stress by being swung or spun around and it could even cause them physical harm,” he adds. “In the videos …the cats are showing clear signs of distress. Even more disappointingly, these are being described as cute or funny in the comments section by people who appear to count themselves as cat lovers.”
He notes that even if the spinning only lasts a few seconds, it’s “unethical,” adding if you do it in the U.K., there may be consequences.
“Causing a cat unnecessary suffering is a criminal offense under the Animal Welfare Act 2006,” he warns.
So jam out to “August” as much as you want, just put your kitty down while you do it.
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