Animal rights organization PETA has criticized Justin Bieber for purchasing expensive exotic kittens.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 25-year-old singer bought the felines – which are a part-domestic cat and part-African Servals – for $20,000 (£16,214) and $15,000 (£12,160) respectively from the Illinois-based breeder Select Exotics.
They make a cute pair, but PETA isn’t best pleased with the singer’s acquisition of the furry friends.
The organization’s senior vice president, Lisa Lange, shared her thoughts unnecessarily using Biebs’ lyrics against him in the process.
Speaking to PEOPLE, she said: “Baby, baby, baby, nooooooo. Justin Bieber could inspire his fans around the world to save a life by adopting a cat from a local animal shelter – rather than fueling the dangerous demand for hybrid cats, contributing to the animal overpopulation crisis, and proving that when it comes to helping animals, his stance so far is ‘I don’t care.'”
The fans don’t seem particularly bothered by the criticism though, nor 226,000 people who followed an Instagram page he set up for his pets.
The Canadian star said in a post that he would send the cats’ millionth follower some free clobber, which is an incredible position to be in if you think about it.
Bieber recently, announced he was getting a kitten at the end of August, explaining the name Sushi which made almost no sense at all.
He said: “I’m getting a cat tomorrow and The name will be sushi!!! Thanks, guys! I can call her sooosh Magooosh and I’m very happy about it. I can also in a baby voice call her TOOSHIEEE BUM BUM or . Shooshi wowl .. read it outloud how it’s spelt. Also sushi Poo.. or just TUNA.” [sic]
The kittens were purchased in the weeks leading up to Bieber’s second wedding to his wife, the former Hailey Baldwin, and he’s enamored with them.
He posted a screenshot of a story about PETA protesting his purchase on his Instagram stories, writing “PETA can suck it.”
“PETA go focus on real problems. Like poaching and animal brutality,” he wrote in a note posted on his Instagram stories. “Ur tripping because I want a specific kind of cat? U weren’t tripping when I got my dog Oscar and he wasn’t a rescue.”
Bieber added that he believes “in adopting rescues but also think there are preferences and that’s what breeders are for.”
“PETA goes help with all the plastic in the ocean, and leave my beautiful cats alone,” he ended his note.
On Friday, PETA responded to Bieber in another statement provided to CNN.
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said “Sorry, Justin, but you must think more deeply about this issue: When millions of animals are losing their lives every year because not enough people adopt, choosing instead to shop, the animal overpopulation crisis is a ‘real problem.'”
“That’s what ‘sucks,'” she said. “PETA urges you to spend just one hour in a municipal animal shelter with us, we think you’ll understand how hard it is to look into the animals’ eyes and know that because people pay breeders, many of them will pay with their lives. You have the power to be a great role model on this issue, your behavior guides that of tons of your fans, so please put that to good use.”
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