West Ham's David Moyes: Kurt Zouma will remain available amid cat controversy

West Ham United defeated Watford 1-0 on Tuesday to climb to fourth in the Premier League table in the race for the top-four and UEFA Champions League spots, but the biggest story of the day remained an off-the-pitch incident involving West Ham defender Kurt Zouma.  

Zouma apologized after a video of him kicking and striking a cat appeared on social media and was later published by "The Sun" newspaper, and manager David Moyes generated further controversy when he selected the 27-year-old for his starting lineup on Tuesday after West Ham said in a statement they would "be dealing with the matter internally." 

As Sky Sports noted, Zouma played the full 90 minutes in the victory over Watford, and Moyes made it clear after the match the player will remain available for selection until further notice. 

"The club will sort the rest of it out. I'll look after the football side," Moyes said in his comments. 

According to Reuters (h/t ESPN), Zouma received boos from some West Ham fans during the win. 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals strongly condemned Zouma's actions earlier in the day, and Essex Police confirmed they were looking into the matter after Metropolitan Police decided not to investigate. 

"We are aware of a video circulating on social media relating to an incident involving a cat which members of our communities may find distressing," Essex Police said in a statement. "We have recently been made aware that this incident may have taken place in Essex and we are liaising with the RSPCA and urgent enquiries are ongoing." 

West Ham are next scheduled to play at Leicester City on Sunday.