Is your next pet a Copycat?

Who said a cat only had nine lives?

After the successful story of dolly the sheep, cloning has become more and more common. In 2002 the first pet cat was cloned which may have possibly began a new trend for pet owners that have lost their beloved companions.

An American company has come up with a new technique for pet cloning called chromatin transfer. This is a safer and more efficient process than more traditional methods. This process involves condensing and transferring the pet’s complete genetic makeup to a surrogate mum’s egg.

The success of chromatin transfer gave the company an opportunity to offer pet owners the chance to have their deceased pet cloned for a sum of USD $50.000. This novel procedure was only offered for a month due to ethical discussions regarding commercial pet cloning. However, even while discussions are continuing, pet owners are still given the chance to store their pet’s genome in a gene bank for possible future cloning. This involves the owners obtaining a small biopsy sample from their pet, which can also be done five days post-mortem.

Although chromatin transfer is considered to be safe, it is important to note there are long term considerations to take into account regarding genetic defects that may begin to show later in the pet’s life. However, with further research and discussions, we are likely to expect commercial pet cloning to be the way of the future.

So, is your next pet a Copycat?

Posted by Tina Nilsson
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References:

Primary Reference:
Mott, M. (2004). "Cat Cloning Offered to Pet Owners". National Geographic News.

Secondary References:
Carlson, B. (2005). Man has clone of dead pet cat, says 'Happiest Day of My Life'. Medical News Today.

Braun, D. (2002) Scientists Successfully Clone Cat. National Geographic News.

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