The UK's largest cat welfare organization, Cats Protection, has taken to social media to criticize both the movie and photographs doing the rounds of Claudia Schiffer’s cat Chip in a bubble backpack carrier at the premiere of the movie Argylle.
The pictures began circulating online following the London premiere of the spy action movie Wednesday. The film was directed by Schilffer’s husband, Matthew Vaughn, and stars Chip as Alfie, who, alongside his owner Elly (Dallas Howard) a spy novelist, are saved from being kidnapped after her books begin to depict the activities of a sinister underground group.
Cats Protection wrote on X: “ Thought the photos of Chip the cat in a bubble backpack on the red carpet at the #Argylle premiere looked fun? Think again. It’s extremely concerning to see a cat exposed to such a stressful environment while contained in an inappropriate carrier.”
Thought the photos of Chip the cat in a bubble backpack on the red carpet at the #Argylle premiere looked fun? Think again.
— Cats Protection (@CatsProtection) January 25, 2024
It’s extremely concerning to see a cat exposed to such a stressful environment while contained in an inappropriate carrier.https://t.co/59nqfH142l
1/2 pic.twitter.com/DF5cNWMjZt
The organization provided a link in the post to notify all parties concerned that it has joined forces with other prominent animal organizations “ to express concern over the upcoming film Argylle, due to be released by Universal Pictures on 2 February 2024”.
The post further stated that the film features a Scottish Fold cat, “a breed associated with serious health and welfare concerns, and is anticipated to amplify the breed's popularity among potential cat owners.”
The organizations involved have written to Universal Pictures to consider the potential impact of Argylle on cat welfare and to join the efforts to promote responsible pet ownership, prioritizing the well-being of animals above entertainment value.
Cats Protection’s Head of Clinical Services Alison Richards said: “The impact of using this breed in a Hollywood film cannot be overstated. All Scottish Fold cats suffer from variable degrees of painful degenerative joint disease and the underlying genetic defect has far-reaching and severe consequences for their health. They go on to develop painful arthritis and it develops it so reliably that it’s being used as a model to study the gene involved in human arthritis. They’re already very popular on social media and with celebrities so we really worry that this film will cause this to surge even more.”
