Sex Education Fans Left Shocked By 'Gruesome' Cat Scene

Warning: if you haven't yet worked your way through the new season, there will be spoilers ahead.

Amongst all that excitement for one of Netflix's biggest recent success stories, there was one moment in particular that caused a fair few complaints among viewers.

The scene in question came in the third episode, in which Cynthia (Lisa Palfrey) and Jeffrey's (Joe Wilkinson) cat Jonathan meets a grim end, after unfortunately stumbling upon the pair in bed.

As things heat up between the couple, the shaking of their caravan leads to a microwave becoming dislodged before rather gruesomely crushing Jonathan below.

A number of fans took to Twitter to voice their dismay and question whether the sequence was really needed.

One person wrote: "The scene where the cat dies in sex education is so gruesome and completely unnecessary."

While another added: "I literally cried with my cat right beside me. It was terrible and triggering I hated it."

Someone else even questioned the show's depiction of animal treatment throughout the series.

"What is with the treatment of animals in Sex Education this series?!" They wrote.

"The goat was a bit random, then the dog left in the locker. I've got as far as the start of ep 3 and the horrific cat death.

"Seems to be no reason for it and it's really disturbing"

Despite the nature of his death, the incident does go on to play an important role in the show's story.

Jeffrey eventually discusses with Cynthia about how she might be using sex as a coping mechanism instead of dealing with her grief over the death of her pet.