- "Isn't it crazy that millions of animals are killed in shelters in this country every year and people are thinking so selfishly about cloning more of them?" said Mary Beth Sweetland, vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Norfolk. "They could do so much more good by going to their local shelter and adopting an animal on death row."
Although some science researchers believe feline cloning could help in protecting certain endangered species, such as the Siberian tiger, Wayne Pacelle of HSUS pooh-poohs that idea. He viewed the announcement "unfortunate news" and reiterates the commonly-held opinion that the biggest threat to endangered species is loss of habitat. This publication of The World Conservation Union would tend to substantiate that theory.
It is unlikely that cloning pets will become a widespread practice. The initial cost of $20,000, as estimated by a GSC spokesperson, would deter most people with pet companions. (Although many people have apparently taken advantage of the " Gene Banking" offered by that organization, at a relatively cheap $895.)
However, for those with the financial wherewithal and the urge to replicate your aging cat, a few words of caution are advisable. First, your cloned cat will not be an exact duplicate of your first cat. Indeed, CC is not an exact replica of her genetic mother, Rainbow, who is a calico. CC has many of her mom's markings, but apparently lacks the calico X chromosome containing a gene for orange coat color. The reason behind this involves a complicated description, but apparently centers on the theory that the nuclear transfer process used by the Texas researchers "does not reset X-activation, and also that the cumulus cell used had an orange coat gene on the inactivated X-chromosome," according to this explanation by Gene Savings & Clone.
Other considerations would be that your cloned kitten would not inherit the memories and probably not the personality of your present cat, since genetics do not play a part in those attributes. All-in-all, if you have the kind of money necessary to have your cat cloned, you'd accomplish much more by donating it to a needy shelter or rescue organization, then visit one of those organizations and adopt one or more homeless cats. It would be every bit as rewarding.
It would be interesting, though, to be able to get a "bird's eye" look into the future, to see where this breakthrough might lead, in terms of conquering disease, or saving endangered species. I would love to be alive 20-50-70 years from now, to see the outcome of today's cloning experiments. On the other hand, maybe not.
