Justin Bieber Is in a Catfight With PETA After Backlash Over His $35,000 Kittens

His Instagram story continued, “PETA can go focus on real problems. Like poaching, and animal brutality. 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.. every pet we get must be a rescue? I believe in adopting rescues but also think there are preferences and that’s what breeders are for.”

Bieber plugged his kittens’ joint Instagram account in a defensive message to the organization, pleading it to “go help with all of the plastic in the ocean, and leave my beautiful cats alone” before tagging them.

The Savannah cats are part domestic and part African Serval, a hybrid with “breathtaking, wild elegance,” according to Select Exotics, the longest-standing breeder of Savannah cats.

But Savannah cat laws are fairly strict in the U.S., with some states banning ownership altogether and others requiring licenses. Thirty-seven states allow all generations of Savannah cats, but some of those areas have weight or permit restrictions, according to the Savannah Cat Association.

UPDATE: After this story was originally published, PETA sent this response to Billboard: "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.' 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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A post shared by Justin (@kittysushiandtuna) on Sep 27, 2019 at 9:52pm PDT