It’s one of the more unexpected celebrity feuds of the year, but Justin Bieber and PETA are going at it right now — and the war of words may not be over any time soon!
The Baby singer is facing backlash after his recent purchase of two exotic kittens from a breeder in Illinois for more than $35,000! For days now, PETA, along with plenty of Justin’s own fans, have been asking the singer to adopt rather than shop for pets…
And it’s got him riled up!
Related: Was Justin & Hailey Bieber’s Wedding ‘Obnoxious’???
The two cats in question are Bieber’s Savannah kittens, named Sushi and Tuna. These “living room leopards,” as they are known, are part domestic cat and part African serval. And because they are bred with a wild animal such as the serval, they are quite controversial, including being either restricted or outright banned in more than a dozen states!
(In case you were wondering, California — where Justin lives — and South Carolina — where he got married — both allow all Savannah cats with no restrictions. So he’s good, it would seem!)
As you can see from Biebs’ Instagram account for the cats, they are also stunningly beautiful (below):
Awww!
Seriously, so cute!!!
But back to the controversy!
Anyways, here’s where PETA comes in: on Thursday, the organization denounced the pop star’s feline purchase in a printed news article. Quickly, word of the criticism got back to the 25-year-old pop star, and he lit into the high-profile non-profit in response.
He used the power of social media to do it, going overboard last night and telling the animal rights org to “suck it” in a post to his IG Stories (below):
Wow!!
Related: What Happened To Justin ‘Constantly’ Praying And Reading The Bible?!
The newly married man continued on further in another pair of IG posts, adding these to the mix, in quick succession (below):
Aggressive!!!
We get that it’s tough to be called out and criticized publicly, but maybe telling an animal rights organization to “suck it” is a little uncalled for??? Just saying!!!
Related: Selena Gomez Has Realized She’s ‘Better Off’ Without Justin!
Anyways, word of all that got back to PETA by Friday morning, and org prez Ingrid Newkirk delivered a full statement to the media about Bieber’s kittens, his “suck it” reaction, and the importance of adopting (and rescuing!) animals.
Newkirk said (below):
“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.”
Well said!!!
This probably won’t change the Biebs’ mind about Sushi and Tuna, but who knows… maybe there’s someone out there who will only adopt from now on because of this controversy!
Related: Adorable Pics Popping Up From Justin And Hailey’s South Carolina Wedding!
What do U think, Perezcious readers — who is in the right here?? Should Bieber have adopted instead of dropping $35,000 on two exotic kittens?! Where do U stand on this whole feud??
Sound OFF about everything in the comments (below)…
[Image via WENN/PETA]
The post Justin Bieber Tells PETA To ‘Suck It’ After They Call Him Out Over Exotic Kittens! appeared first on Perez Hilton.