Justin Bieber has told an animal rights group to “suck it” after it criticised him for buying two designer kittens rather than re-homing cats from a shelter.
The Canadian pop star is said to have splashed out 35,000 US dollars (£28,000) on a pair of Savannah cats named Sushi and Tuna.
The kittens, which Bieber showed off on Instagram before his second wedding with model wife Hailey earlier this week, are part-exotic and are a cross between a domesticated cat and a wild one.
People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (Peta) hit out at the singer, saying he could have inspired his fans to adopt animals from shelters.
Instead, the group said, he is “fuelling the dangerous demand for hybrid cats” and “contributing to the animal overpopulation crisis”.
Bieber, 25, has responded with a post on his Instagram Stories, telling Peta it can “suck it”.
“PETA go focus on real problems”, he said.
“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.”
Tagging the Instagram account for his kittens, Bieber wrote: “PETA go help with all of the plastic in the ocean and leave my beautiful cats alone @kittysushiandtuna.”