Katy Perry has sparked fierce backlash online after appearing to state that she has been feeding her pet dog a vegan diet.
The 'I Kissed a Girl' singer took to social media to reveal that she has been on a vegan journey for a number of months now and so too has her dog, Nugget.
Katy tweeted to her 109 million followers: "I’m about 95% ready to be 100% VEGAN... my dog Nugget has been joining me on this journey for the past 4 monthz. Pray for us ok. [sic]"
While the singer's decision to put her dog on a vegan diet was praised by some, others described her behavior as cruel.
One Twitter user wrote: "DONT FORCE A DOG ON A VEGAN DIET. They are omnivores not herbivores. THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY. [sic]"
A second similarly added: "I hope nugget has only been joining you for emotional support! Dogs shouldn't be vegan, so please continue providing their necessary requirements! Also I mean being imperfectly vegan is fine like just do your best out there and don't beat yourself up for any mistakes."
Meanwhile, a third couldn't help but comment on the singer's dog's name: "having a dog named nugget whilst wanting to be vegan is SENDING me i- [sic]."
However, not everyone was against Perry's decision, and animal rights group PETA messaged the singer saying: "Wonderful news! We’re SO happy for you and for Nugget, too. You’ll both love how it feels eating clean and helping animals."
Another added that dogs in India also thrive on a meatless diet.
Veterinarian Cailin R. Heinze wrote on the Cummings Medical Centre's website: "Most dogs can do quite well on a carefully designed vegan diet that meets all of their nutritional needs.
"The challenge is that designing these diets is not the easiest thing to do. While a number of commercial vegan and vegetarian diets exist on the market for dogs, not all of them are equivalent in quality.
"In general, diets that include eggs or dairy as protein sources are less worrisome than diets based only on plant proteins."
Heinze also dispelled the myth that dogs are carnivores, writing: "Dogs are classified in the Order Carnivora, but other species included in that group include omnivores such as bears, raccoons, and skunks as well as the giant panda, which is a strict herbivore.
"From a biological perspective, dogs lack most of the metabolic adaptions to a strict diet of animal flesh that are seen in true carnivores such as cats or ferrets. "