Wow, I’ve heard and seen a lot, but this truly left me speechless…
Among the thousands of abandoned cats and kittens waiting for their forever homes, it turns out that cat cloning is now a thing.
I know we all wish our beloved pets could live forever, but unfortunately, that’s not possible.
So, the best we can do is cherish every moment with them, give them the best life possible, and when the time comes, open our hearts to another kitty in need.
However, not everyone follows this path. When Huang Yu’s beloved kitty Garlic passed away, she couldn’t bear the loss. But how she coped with it, is a story you won’t believe!
Garlic, a British Shorthair cat, left this world at the tender age of two and a half due to an unnamed illness.
Huang Yu was devastated, but instead of accepting the reality and moving on, she decided on something extraordinary – to clone Garlic.
Instead of accepting the reality no matter how hard it was and moving on, Huang Yu felt guilty for not bringing Garlic to the hospital on time. So, she wanted to give him a second chance, one way or another.
Pet cloning is a difficult and expensive process, but its popularity increased over time.
Garlic was cloned by a pet cloning company Sinogene known for cloning over 40 different dogs before. However, this was their first time cloning a cat.
The cloning process involves injecting cells from the deceased cat into an embryo, which is then transferred to a surrogate cat.
After a 66-day pregnancy, the surrogate cat naturally gave birth to the cloned kitten. But, before the cloned furball could go home, scientists needed to observe it for several months to ensure its well-being.
However, not everyone can afford to clone their pets. Huan Yu paid 250,000 yuan for cloning Garlic, which is about $35,000. But, as she notes:
“It’s worth it to get my beloved cat back.”
Yu decided not to think of the new Garlic as just a clone, but rather as a continuation of the previous Garlic’s life. Before the big reunion, she said:
“I’m so excited to see Garlic again after such a long time.”
Yet, she spent a lot of money but wasn’t completely satisfied. The thing about cloning is that it doesn’t guarantee perfect results.
The similarities between the two cats are, in the best case, around 90%. Therefore, the cats may have slight differences in eye color, coat, and similar.
Of course, cloned pets don’t have the memory of the previous ones either, even though the scientists hope to be able to figure that out as well.
So, Huang Yu is a bit disappointed because Garlic isn’t precisely the same as the previous one, but still, she’s happy to have him back and live the best life with him.
Final Thoughts
Cloning remains a controversial and relatively new technology that sparks numerous questions and debates among pet lovers, and rightly so.
It also raises ethical concerns and costs a small fortune, while countless abandoned animals are in desperate need of loving homes.
When my own feline friends eventually cross the Rainbow Bridge, it’ll be heart-wrenching, and no one can ever be truly prepared for that.
But, like many others, I’ll choose to adopt another kitty and embark on a new journey, just as I’ve done before.
What are your thoughts on cloning pets? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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