Jamie Lynn Spears is blaming billionaire Elon Musk for killing her cats. While she is not accusing him of physically killing them himself, she is blaming his company, Tesla, for the death of several cats. In a since-deleted post, she said that because the company’s cars are so quiet, they aren’t startling the cats like regular cars, therefore the cats can’t hear the vehicles driving, catching them by surprise.
“We have now lost — I don’t want to tell you how many cats — because they don’t hear the Tesla crank and unfortunate things happen and it’s really devastating and tragic for everyone involved,” she said in the Instagram post according to CNN. “Elon Musk, let’s figure this out. You owe me a couple cats,” calling his company a “secret cat killer.”
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Much like electric cars, Tesla cars run quieter than gas-powered engines. The younger sister to Britney Spears claims the luxury cars remove any noises that would normally alert an animal to move out of the way, therefore suggested that the update would ensure that animals “aren’t caught off guard and things don’t end in a very tragic way.” As of 2020, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires Tesla and other electric cars to produce sounds of at least 43 decibels when they’re at a speed of 18.6 miles per hour or less. In comparison, that’s roughly the sound a dishwasher makes.
“This standard will help to ensure that blind, visually impaired, and other pedestrians are able to detect and recognize nearby hybrid and electric vehicles,” NHTSA said in a statement. Spears then clarified her statements by posting that she did not physically run over her cats herself saying “[I] did not run over any cats” and that Tesla is “not to be blamed.” She continued to detail that “user error is admittedly involved.”
For years, fans have defended her sister Britney in regards to her conservatorship and over the summer, Spears defended her sister after rapper Kanye West showed erratic behavior, addressing the way society treats people with mental illness. “If you deal with mental illness or care for someone dealing with mental illness, then you know how important it is to respect the situation with privacy for the person, and the family trying to protect their loved ones, no matter how it may appear to the public, and as the public we must learn to do the same.”
She ended with, “I pray this doesn’t bring shame to anyone dealing with mental illness, you are not alone, and you are loved. Sending all of my love and prayers to all of you.”
