Biotech firm successfully creates male kitten

[Still Waters]

Pet owners in China hoping to cheat death could soon have their wishes fulfilled as scientists in the country claim to have cloned a cat for the first time.

A kitten named Garlic was born inside the laboratories of Sinogene Biotechnology Company in Beijing, according to reports in state-owned media.

The British shorthair was born 66 days after an embryo was implanted inside a surrogate mother, Sinogene claimed during a press conference. 

It means that, when a beloved pet dies, an exact copy can be created to replace it - and the firm hopes to one day pass on characteristics like personality and memories.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7378595/Pet-lovers-CLONE-cat-29-000-Chinese-biotech-firm.html

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1161960.shtml

[Piney]

3 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

 and memories.

Only instinctive ones. Not learned behaviors. 

Cloning pets is a waste of resources and disrespectful to their memories. 

[XenoFish]

15 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

the firm hopes to one day pass on characteristics like personality and memories.

The only way I can see this happening is if for some weird science reason we are able to 3D print a functional body around the brain of the animal/person and it work. 

[Still Waters]

Cloning animals that have gone extinct, I can understand the reasoning behind that. Cloning a deceased pet doesn't quite feel right, not to me anyway, and no offence meant to any animal lovers who would go in for this procedure.

[XenoFish]

4 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

Cloning animals that have gone extinct, I can understand the reasoning behind that. Cloning a deceased pet doesn't quite feel right, not to me anyway and no offence meant to any animal lovers who would go in for this procedure.

Even if they successfully cloned the pet memories and all, it's still not the same pet. It's just a copy. Same goes for people. It would be someone who thinks they are somebody who's dead.

Edited August 22, 2019 by XenoFish

[Piney]

1 hour ago, Still Waters said:

Cloning animals that have gone extinct, I can understand the reasoning behind that. Cloning a deceased pet doesn't quite feel right, not to me anyway, and no offence meant to any animal lovers who would go in for this procedure.

I'm all for bringing extinct animals back. Especially if it will fill a needed niche. 

[darkmoonlady]

The arguments made are if these pet cloning operations become standard it will make cloning endangered species easier and better funded, like at "McCloners we've cloned 3,000,000 pets and that's helped the return of the endangered Panda". Cloning in the cattle and horse breeding industries has become standard in some breeds. Quite a few famous horses have now been cloned, mostly clones of geldings for having a viable breeding animal, but mares have also been cloned. The Jockey Club doesn't allow cloning or AI only live cover and required DNA testing to verify the stallion is the actual sire. Gem Twist a three day eventer was cloned long after his death using a tissue sample stored in cold storage. It has its uses. Pets to me are difficult, if I had a lot of disposable income I would maybe clone my current cat but it's a hard sell with pet overpopulation. 

Edited August 22, 2019 by darkmoonlady

[Gwynbleidd]

For me, it just conjures up bad memories of that cat in Pet Sematary all over again.   

 

[Piney]

2 hours ago, darkmoonlady said:

The Jockey Club doesn't allow cloning or AI only live cover and required DNA testing to verify the stallion is the actual sire.

That's the same with one Arabian registry I was involved in. 

[Piney]

2 hours ago, darkmoonlady said:

it's a hard sell with pet overpopulation. 

That's why I always adopt captured feral kittens. 

[Farmer77]

9 hours ago, Piney said:

Cloning pets is a waste of resources and disrespectful to their memories. 

IDK I have an aging American Bulldog whose breeder has gone out of business after 50 some years working with the breed to make a damn quality dog. Honestly this dog deserves to have had better owners than us, anyways if/when I can afford it I will clone him in a second. Its the instinct that makes a great dog, I was simply there to help guide the instinct.