Question:
It has begun:
Pet cat cloned for $50,000 US
Last Updated Thu, 23 Dec 2004 11:51:48 EST
SAN FRANCISCO - The first cloned-to-order pet sold in the United States has been delivered to a Texas woman, who paid $50,000 US to have a kitten created from the DNA of her dead cat.
A California biotech company, Genetic Savings and Clone, forged the kitten from the remains of Nicky, a cat who died last year.
Nicky's owner, a woman known only as Julie, was shattered by the death of her 17-year-old pet and banked its DNA.
Julie insists that Little Nicky, now nine months old, is the same as its prototype.
"He is identical. His personality is the same," she told the Associated Press news agency. Julie wanted her last name and hometown kept secret because she fears being targeted by cloning opponents.
But scientists say pet owners should be aware that environmental and other biological variables make it impossible to duplicate animals exactly. Little Nicky, for example, has a different coat from its predecessor.
They also warn that cloned animals are more likely to have health problems than those produced through traditional breeding.


Answer:
That is disgusting, I feel so bad for that cat. I can never imagine doing that to a poor innocent creature. Why do some humans think they can mess with someones life and it is no big deal?


Answer:
I'm torn on this subject. I sometimes think that humans have taken things too far. But at the same time, I love my cats so much that if I had a chance to have one of them back after they passed, I would consider it.


Answer:
That's a good point, Candice, but a lot of people don't realize that there's no guarantee that the clone will be anything like the pet they lost.
It's the whole nature vs. nuture agrument all over again, and cloning proves that it's a balance between them that determines who we are (including our pets).


Answer:
I think it is sad that she couldn't let the memory of the first cat rest in peace. I have no doubt that scientists will do anything, it's the people that would pay to have them done that worry me. If you can get a copy of you're cat, what other things against nature can you get if you're willing to pay?


Answer:
I would never clone any of my pets even if it were inexpensive. It just wouldn't feel right and I'm sure they wouldn't be the same.
What if that womans kitten grows up to be the exact opposite in personality of her previous cat? How disappointed will she be?