Popular TikTok star Zoe Laverne is the latest to come under fire from her viewers for alleged animal abuse against her cat. This story will no doubt ring bells for gamers about the controversy surrounding Alinity's treatment of her cat, but the situations are a bit different.
Laverne is very active on TikTok and has over 16 million followers, so it stands to reason that her actions would come under scrutiny, especially when it comes to pets. Though she mostly focuses on lip syncing and dancing videos on the platform, she has recently started to feature her new cat more in her videos.
This kitten is an absolutely adorable Himalayan, so internet users would be forgiven for being overly protective of it. If Laverne's recent statement is to be believed, that's exactly what's happening. She claims that she does not abuse her cat and calls the notion ridiculous.
The issue arose when Laverne showed a video of her throwing the kitten into the air and catching it. She repeated this process a few times, and fans were worried about the cat's safety. According to Laverne, her cat loves the act and considers it a game. She claims he often returns and asks her to do it over and over again, and refutes the idea that it is abuse. To defend herself, she even sites the pseudo myth that cats always land on their feet. It is true that most of the time they will, but even cats are capable of sustaining damage from a fall, especially high ones.
Whether or not one believes that the cat enjoys the "game," most can agree it is markedly different from the Alinity incident. Alinity was playing a video game and threw the cat over her head and behind her because it was distracting her, and even still the Saskatoon SPCA found nothing wrong with the situation. By contrast, Laverne is playing with the cat actively, and if it were in pain or hurting she would likely notice and do something about it. At any rate, she does not appear to be phased by the accusations.
Her life as a TikTok star seems to have continued as normal for the most part aside from taking a moment to make the statement above, but viewers will definitely be keeping an eye on her interactions with her cat from here on out. Hopefully Laverne treats the cat well.