Justin Bieber’s latest animal purchase is drawing criticism from PETA. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the recently married man dropped $35,000 on a pair of part-exotic kittens from Illinois-based breeder Select Exotics. The two Savannah cats, Sushi and Tuna, cost Bieber $20,000 and $15,000.
Soon after the purchase, Bieber launched an Instagram page for the cats, @kittysushiandtuna. The account “ran by daddy @justinbieber,” as the bio reads, has already amassed a following of almost 300,000 fans.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3LYHTOHOIZ
Not everyone is happy about the purchase. PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange told Page Six, “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.'”
Luckily for Bieber, he lives in a state where Savannahs are allowed in full. In states such as Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Texas, and Vermont, the cats are legally restricted or banned.
Bieber has responded to PETA in no-longer-available Instagram stories. He told the organization to “focus on real problems,” citing poaching and animal brutality as bigger issues. You can find screenshots of the stories here.
