PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have criticized Justin Bieber over his new purchase, in which he bought 2 kittens worth $35,000.
Sushi and Tuna, the two exotic kittens of Bieber, are Savannah cats that were bought from Select Exotics, an Illinois-based breeder.
According to reports, Justin paid $35,000 for the cats.
In a statement PETA released to CNN, the animal rights group said, “Baby, baby, baby, nooooooo.”
The statement added, “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 2 cats were purchased earlier this month, ahead of the second wedding of Justin with Hailey Baldwin, now known as Hailey Bieber.
Justin didn’t go easy on PETA too.
In a post he made on Instagram, Justin said: “PETA can suck it.”
He added, “PETA go focus on real problems. Like poaching and animal brutality.”
The post continued, “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.”
Beiber also said he believes”in adopting rescues but also think there are preferences and that’s what breeders are for.”
He ended his story by saying, “PETA go help with all the plastic in the ocean, and leave my beautiful cats alone.”
On October 4, 2019, PETA released another statement and apologized to Justin and explained why they called him out.
Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, 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.’”
The president added, “That’s what ‘sucks.’ 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.”
The 2 cats even have their own Instagram account, where they have over 295k followers.
According to the official website of Select Exotics, the place where Justin bought his cats from, says the Savannah cats are domestic/serval feline cross that is the largest hybrid cat that is available right now.
The site added, “Bright, inventive, intelligent, even ingenious, playful, charming, and intensely energetic, the personable Savannah cat is very dog-like. Readily trainable, most love to play fetch, ride in cars, and relish outdoor walks on a leash.”