A video that surfaced on Sunday, showing West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma physically assaulting his pet cat, has caused widespread outrage.

In the video, Zouma is seen dropping the cat, then kicking it like a football across his kitchen floor.

He then proceeds to chase the petrified animal around his dining room, before hurling a pair of shoes at it and finally slapping it.

The video was filmed by Zouma’s brother and posted to Snapchat.

West Ham United immediately condemned Zouma’s actions and fined him the maximum amount they were able to, which was £250,000.

In a statement, the club said, “The club is clear that it will not tolerate such behavior, which goes against the values it holds.”

The French international issued a grovelling apology for his actions on Tuesday night, saying, “I want to apologise for my actions. There are no excuses for my behaviour, which I sincerely regret.”

“I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video. I would like to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy.

“They are loved and cherished by our entire family, and this behaviour was an isolated incident that will not happen again.”

According to sources, Zouma was reportedly upset that the Bengal cat, an expensive breed, had caused some damage to his house.

A source said, “It seemed that Kurt had got angry at the cat for accidentally smashing some sort of vase and tearing down a light fixture from the kitchen cupboard.”

“But what he does next is completely unacceptable. Kurt kicks it, throws shoes at it, and then slaps it. The poor cat looked so scared.”

Animal welfare organizations were quick to condemn Zouma’s actions.

An RSPCA spokesperson said, “This is a very upsetting video. It’s never acceptable to kick, hit, or slap an animal, for punishment or otherwise.”

Dr Maggie Roberts of the charity Cats Protection added, “Any person seen or suspected of treating an animal badly, whether this is physical violence, neglect or any other form of cruelty should be reported to the RSPCA.

“The police work closely with the RSPCA to investigate cases of animal cruelty.”

The video has sparked outrage online, with many people taking to social media to express their shock and disgust.

Some people, however, thought the video was funny, to which Dr Roberts of Cats Protection said, “We noticed that some people viewing the video online thought it was funny. We can assure them that this is not a laughing matter.”