Kate Upton: 3 days in the life of the 'cat daddy' video scandal

By Matt Donnelly

May 3, 2012 12 AM PT

Poor Kate Upton. Can’t a bikini-clad bombshell dance the “cat daddy” in peace?

The answer would appear to be no, judging by this week’s controversy over a steamy shoot with fashion photographer Terry Richardson that had Upton taking a break from posing to show off her cat daddy skills.

In a video posted Monday to Richardson’s blog Terry’s Diary, Upton, on a break between shots, performs the cat daddy, a dance move made popular by the group the Rej3ctz and Chris Brown.

(It’s only natural to get her in motion, as a 2011 video of Upton doing the Dougie made her a viral sensation and catapulted her to gigs including the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover. But back to the Richardson shoot.)

Terry’s upload of the clip to YouTube quickly hit big, thanks to the sheer, um, bounciness of its subject. Alas, it was removed by YouTube moderators on Tuesday, who cited a community guidelines violation, then restored Wednesday after a user outcry — after all, there’s no nudity or wardrobe malfunction in the footage, just a lot of undulating Upton.

“With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call,” a YouTube rep said. “When it’s brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it.”

And with it, they reinstate another classic in the Upton oeuvre, which you can check out below if you’re not offended by a scantily clad, notably hot model in motion. Upton-mania includes an equally steamy Carl’s Jr. commercial, a “Saturday Night Live” appearance and invites to high-profile soirees including Vanity Fair’s recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner after-party.

Long live the bikini.