Does Justin Bieber Own a Tiger?

This pop and R&B artist is known for his success in the music industry, starting when he was just 13 years old. Now, with a career that is half as old as he is, what has Bieber spent his money on, and does he own a tiger?

Justin Bieber does not own a tiger, but he does own two exotic cats. The names of his cats are Sushi and Tuna, and they are both Savannah cats, which is the largest of the cat breeds.

Read on below to find out more about Justin Bieber’s cats, their breed, the resulting controversy, and other celebrities with exotic pets.

Sushi and Tuna

In September of 2019, Justin and Hailey Bieber bought two Savannah cats and named them Sushi and Tuna. They created an Instagram page, under the username @kittysushiandttuna, to document their first month with the cats.

Savannah cats are a specific hybrid cat breed between a domestic cat and a serval, an African wild cat. Their specific breed is illegal in many states since they are considered exotic animals, but in his home state of California and in Canada, they are allowed.

Bieber spent 35 thousand dollars on the two cats, and while they are adorable, there are issues with breeding animals that the Biebers may not have known about. They received criticism from activists for buying from breeders instead of adopting or rescuing.

Bieber posted on his Instagram story in response, encouraging others to focus on more important issues, “Like poaching, and animal brutality… I believe in adopting rescues but also think there are preferences and that’s what breeders are for.”

While Bieber’s position is understandable, breeding animals is a bigger issue than he may know. Many animal rights activists along with PETA took to different forms of social media, explaining the issue.

The Biebers have every right to buy whatever type of pet they’d like, but many activists are worried about what would happen if others decide to shop instead of adopting. According to activists, cats already in shelters could face serious consequences if more and more people decide to buy cats instead of adopting them.

Check out the YouTube video below to see the full interaction between PETA and Justin Bieber about his Savannah cats.

Celebrities with Exotic Pets

The Biebers aren’t the only celebrities with exotic tastes in animals. They don’t own tigers, but Mike Tyson, one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time, did own tigers for a short while.

Tyson owned three Bengal tigers in the 1990s, and named them Kenya, Storm, and Boris. According to him, his tigers may have come indirectly through the former zookeeper Joe Exotic, the subject of the Netflix documentary Tiger King.

Tyson gave up his tigers in the early 2000s, and now says that tigers should not be kept as pets and cannot be domesticated.

Kristen Stewart, like the Biebers, also owns hybrid pets, but hers are a cross between wolves and dogs. She and her mom have raised wolf-dogs since Stewart was a child, and in an interview with David Letterman, called them “really sweet,” and saying that she “cook[s] for them when they’re hungry.”

Vanilla Ice is another celebrity with two Savannah cats just like the Biebers. His cats are named King and Valentine, and the rapper is also known for having goats and even a kangaroo.

Miley Cyrus adopted a pig in 2014 and named it Bubba Sue, which was commonly known as Pig Pig. Pigs aren’t exotic animals exactly, but they are fairly uncommon as household pets.

Bubba Sue, which she adopted as a piglet, passed away in 2019, and she posted a series of tributes to it on her Instagram story. Cyrus has been an outspoken animal activist throughout her career, and along with Pig Pig, has seven dogs, four horses, and three cats.

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo63NrK6eqqNjsLC5jp2mnqtdn8K0wMinZJuhlZeys3nOsKVmmV2ptqix0Wg%3D