In April 2010, American socialite and media personality Kim Kardashian was wrapping up her nude, “unretouched” photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar when she took to Twitter and uploaded one of the most controversial photos to date. In it, Kardashian was seen clad in a low-cut black ensemble and leather gloves as she gripped a kitten up by the scruff of its neck.
“Pic from my shoot yesterday… good kitty cat!” she captioned the tweet. At the time, the picture sparked outrage from her followers and several animal rights organisations, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
According to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the healthiest way to pick up a kitten is with one hand supporting the front or chest area and the other under its back feet or bottom.
“Bring them close to your body—they’re fragile and you don’t want to drop them or have them jump out of your arms if they’re scared by a noise.” the group explained. “It’s also important to never pick up a kitten by the nape of its neck.”
Back in 2010, a spokesperson for PETA also told the New York Daily News, “Kim Kardashian isn’t the only person who mistakenly thinks that because a mother cat picks up her kittens by the scruff of the neck that a supportive hand under the rump isn’t needed. But I’ll bet plenty of fans have let her know—nicely, we hope!” The SPCA further warned that “the manner in which Ms. Kardashian is holding the kitten could lead others to mishandle animals.”
12 years later, the unsettling image has now resurfaced on Reddit, with a user sharing it on r/KUWTK with the caption, “who remembers this?” The uproar which followed analysed every single detail of Kardashian’s life, to say the least.
who remembers this?
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“Kim is an asshole for this… That cat should have scratched her face,” one user wrote. “Poor baby, you can see that it’s stressed and unhappy,” another noted, while a third explained, “A lot of people think you can lift a cat like this, but you shouldn’t… I’m sure she didn’t know better but I hope she learned.”
Meanwhile, others highlighted how the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan doesn’t have a good track record with pets. “It’s one of their absolute worst traits,” a user wrote. “Khloe is the only one who seems to have the ‘respect for animals’ thing down.”
Fans further noted how Kendall Jenner had recently shared an Instagram Story where she was seen riding a horse and walking her leashed dog Pyro at the same time.
Horseback riding
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According to Horse Rookie, this “irresponsible” practice can be dangerous. “Putting a leash on your dog when you’re trail riding might seem like a good way to keep him from wandering off, but it’s actually a really bad idea,” the outlet wrote. “The leash could become entangled in your horse’s legs, entrapping your dog, and creating a very dangerous situation for everyone. You could also be pulled off the horse and get injured.”
Back to Kardashian, the fashion mogul has previously defended her actions by stating, “I have been getting negative comments regarding the way I was holding the kitty, but rest assured, the owner and vet were on set and showed me how to pick him up. The cat was not harmed in any way and is perfectly fine! I love animals and would never do anything to harm any animals.”
Although animal rights groups considered the claims that Kardashian wasn’t trying to harm the kitten intentionally, they still believe her actions weren’t ideal.
Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, better known by his stage name Joe Exotic, is an American (former) zoo operator now turned convicted felon who became infamous after the release of Netflix’s Tiger King documentary, which focused on the 57-year-old and his archenemy, Carole Baskin. What fewer people might be aware of is that Exotic is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence after being convicted of plotting a murder-for-hire against Big Cat Rescue owner Baskin, among other charges.
Since March 2020, he has been incarcerated at FMC Fort Worth in Texas and by June 2020, Baskin received control of Exotic’s zoo property. Now, as if this story wasn’t crazy enough, Exotic is hoping that Kim Kardashian West will help get him out from behind bars. In a new handwritten letter obtained by ET, the Tiger King star writes to the reality star and criminal justice reform activist, asking for her help in getting a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump.
The letter reads, “I know you have never met me and may never want to however I do believe that you hold the values of our justice system dear to your heart,” Joe writes in the letter dated Nov. 4. “I am writing you this letter not as Joe Exotic but as the person Joseph Maldonado-Passage, asking you to please help me by just taking 10 minutes out of your life and placing a call to President Trump to look at my 257 page pardon it’s all the evidence I’m innocent and ask him to sign my pardon so I can return home to [my husband] Dillon and my father.”
Exotic adds, “I have lost 57 years of work, my zoo, my animals, my mother has died, my dad is dying and I’ve been taken away from my husband who I love dearly. Everyone is so busy making movies, getting interviews, selling stuff and dressing up like me that everyone forgot I’m a real live person in prison and kept from even telling my own story for something I didn’t do.”
Towards the end of the letter, he explains to Kardashian that “No one even has to know you did it.”
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Ironically, Kardashian has already shown that she is a big Tiger King fan. Back in October, the mother of four and her friend, Jonathan Cheban, dressed up as Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic for Halloween with her kids as tigers. She also expressed an interest in the series back in March, tweeting, “Wow the amount of texts I’ve gotten about Tiger King since I tweeted about it all have mentioned their belief that Carol killed her husband! What are your thoughts? Do you think Carol killed him?”
So far, it hasn’t been precised whether the celebrity intends to help Exotic out. But in the meantime, Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue has offered to have Kardashian come visit their sanctuary, which she hasn’t responded publicly to either.