Animal activists are warning against a torturous TikTok trend that has pets in extreme duress.
TikTokers have been grabbing their pets from under their arms, lifting them up in the air, and spinning them around in circles.
Most of the videos show cats being twirled around, but other pets have been enlisted to become unwitting TikTok stars, including dogs, turtles, and even an eager raccoon.
Now, animal activists are voicing concern that many of the creatures are clearly being forced into terrifying situations.
“Spock already hates me so why not torture him more,” one user captioned a TikTok last month showing her seemingly spooked cat partaking in the petrifying spin, which is often set to Taylor Swift’s “August.”
“We had to hop on this trend! Sully was not a fan. He is lucky I dropped the phone or we could have done a few more spins,” another TikToker wrote on her video captioned #cattorture.
The clips are sparking bad blood.
“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,” Daniel Warren-Cummings, a behavior officer at a UK-based cat charity, told Metro.
Activists are especially concerned about the cats.
“Cats in particular will experience extreme stress by being swung or spun around, and it could even cause them physical harm,” Warren-Cummings explained.
“In the videos highlighted, the cats are showing clear signs of distress.”
Warren-Cummings is particularly worried that the people posting these videos appear to be pet lovers not attuned to their pets’ behavior or aware of their well-being.
“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 said.
“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 added: “Even if the experience is only brief, it’s unethical and should not be encouraged.”
The trend took off last month and has continued for several weeks.
As TikTokers try to go viral, animal rights groups hope pet owners will heed their warnings and take care of their feline friends.