Animal activists warn pet owners are ‘torturing’ cats and dogs in new TikTok trend

Animal activists are warning pet owners against a viral TikTok trend which involves people spinning their furry friends around in circles.

TikTok has emerged as a thriving hub of viral content over the past few years, with users constantly looking for new trends to participate in and share on the platform.

However, not all trends are safe, whether it involves experts warning against arching your feet to recreate a Barbie scene or users holding their breath until they pass out.

Now, animal activists are warning against a TikTok fad that sees people filming themselves grabbing their pets under their front legs, lifting the animals into the air and spinning them around in circles. Most videos feature cats, but you will also find dogs, turtles, and even pigs being twirled around.

The controversial trend has been taking over the app since August, and has been dubbed as the ‘Taylor Swift August trend,’ as most of these posts are set to the songstress’ popular 2020 track.

Experts warn against harmful TikTok trend

Central behavior officer Daniel Warren-Cummings of the UK animal advocacy group Cats Protection Animal Services spoke to Metro about the dangers of the trend.

“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,” he told the outlet.

“Cats in particular will experience extreme stress by being swung or spun around, and it could even cause them physical harm. In the videos highlighted, the cats are showing clear signs of distress.”

He continued: “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.”

Daniel is worried that the people posting these videos aren’t in tune with their pets’ behavior. “It’s clear from the language that the owners don’t understand that animals don’t feel and behave the same way humans do and this undercuts the distress that the cats are experiencing,” he explained.

The UK animal activist also noted that even if the actions in the video are brief, it is still “unethical and should not be encouraged.”