[Subtemperate]

A North Texas woman paid $US50,000 ($A65,500) to have her cat cloned, to become the first owner of a commercially cloned pet.

Julie knew Nicky the cat was special.

So, the Dallas-area resident stored Nicky's tissue in a California company's gene bank. And when the firm, Genetic Savings & Clone, offered clients the chance to reproduce their precious pets for a price, Julie signed up.

The copied cat - dubbed Little Nicky - was born in Austin, Texas, and presented on to Julie on December 10.

Genetic Savings & Clone has not released Julie's last name but reports that the airline industry employee is very happy with her new pet.

"I see absolutely no differences between Little Nicky and Nicky," Julie told the company. The woman spoke through the firm and did not respond to requests for an interview.

Nicky the elder died at age 17 last year. But Little Nicky has picked up where his predecessor left off.

"When Little Nicky yawned, I even saw two spots inside his mouth, just like Nicky had," Julie said. "Little Nicky loves water like Nicky did, and he's already jumped into the bathtub like Nicky used to do."

Genetic Savings & Clone is the only company to offer cloned pets to paying customers. The company previously funded cloning efforts at Texas A&M University. In 2001, that project produced the first clone of a household pet - a cat named Cc.

Earlier this year, Genetic Savings & Clone launched the "Nine Lives Extravaganza," offering clients the chance to clone a cat for $50,000. Five feline lovers signed up this year, said company spokesman Ben Carlson.

Julie was the first client to receive her cat. Four other cats are in various stages of "production," Carlson said.

Cloning Nicky, a Maine Coon, "was a huge milestone for our company," Carlson said. "It's thrilling for us."

The prospect of made-to-order clones has raised questions among ethicists and animal rights activists. And scientists and animal advocates have noted that clones are susceptible to a number of health problems.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, said cloned animals often have physical abnormalities and aren't likely to live as long.

"It's all done for no valuable social purpose," he said.

Carlson said his company offers improved cloning techniques. And clients are cautioned about the pitfalls of cloning pets, he said.

"A lot of people have misconceptions about cloning," he said. "We make sure our clients understand that we can't give them their old pet back."

Carlson likens clones to twins, telling clients that the animals should be similar but not necessarily identical.

The length of the cloning process, which involves producing an embryo and transferring it to a surrogate mother, varies but usually spans five to seven months for a cat, Carlson said. Genetic Savings & Clone hopes to make the process more efficient.

"We need to be able to bring the price down to really generate enough business to succeed," he said.

Several hundred clients have deposited pet tissue in the company's gene bank. Some are waiting for the price to fall, Carlson said. Others are eager for the company to begin cloning dogs.

Man's best friend has not yet been replicated, but Carlson said his company is optimistic that it could accomplish that feat within a few months.




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This post has been edited by Subtemperate: 23 December 2004 - 10:28 AM

[Ruby]

Wow thats heaps cool

[thebarman]

I'm still sitting on the fence with the whole cloning thing. I can't see any immediate harm in it but what happens when you start making clones of clones, it's like photocopying the same piece of paper over and over again, gradually little imperfections creep in and what your left with bears no resemblance to the original.

[Tia]

With clones, they may look the same but they'll never be the same.
Everyone and everything has it's own personality/ essence the thing that makes us each unique, and that's one thing they won't be able to clone.

[Panthera leo atrox]

Finally got the first one done, eh? Interesting. I'm glad that they warn their customers about the problems associated with cloning. An animal's personality is not just determined by nature (genetics), a lot of it comes specifically from nurture (the specific environment that the animal was raised in). The nurture that the animal went through to develop its specific personality can't be cloned with the rest of it. Personally, I don't see the slightest thing wrong with it as long as people understand it and aren’t given false expectations. I think it's a waste of money, though. It's so much cheaper to just go to the pound and get another animal when yours dies, and for all you know you'll like that one better then the one that died!

[JennRose]

I just think it's sad that millions of animals are homeless or put to sleep, yet people will pay thousands of dollars to clone one. I just feel it's kinda wasteful.

[Novo]

Actully once the neural net is complete mapped and understood, and we can comprehend our own conscience's the skys the limits-Imagine, having your mind transferred into a clone of your younger self!

[twpdyp]

Imagine, having your mind transferred into a clone of your younger self!

This is a science that needs to be carefully controlled. The implications of the ability to replicate ones self are farther reaching than I think we can comprehend. In theory it all sounds great, I need a new liver just take it from my clone, but the one thing that bothers me is who is to decide? Who will be allowed to clone themselves and who will not be allowed. Imagine this as long as we are imagining things. Somewhere sitting on some long forgotten shelf sits a specimen of John Wayne Gacy's blood. Now it comes to pass that someone with more brains than sense acquires this blood sample. This someone wants to prove that it is not genetics but enviroment that produces monsters like Gacy. So he clones a new Gacy to prove his crazy theory. Far fetched, maybe. Likely, probably not. Scarey, most definitely. Who is to decide, and what is the criteria? We as a race must tread carefully on this issue. It is my belief that if this one technology ever gets out of hand it can destroy the human race. Lets face it as a race we have never shown the intelligence and foresight required to do what is best for us in the long term, have we?