Just before the end of the year, headlines across the nation announced that a Texas woman had received delivery of a newly cloned kitten--an exact replica of the pet she had cherished for 17 years. The woman, identified only by her first name in press reports, declared herself ecstatic about the kitten and pleased to have paid the $50,000 required for the carbon copy of her beloved dead cat, "Nicky."
The new kitten, dubbed "Little Nicky," was declared by a spokesman for Genetic Savings and Clone, Inc. to be "the world's first commercial pet clone."
Most readers saw the story as something of a curiosity. From a human interest angle, many must have wondered why any person would pay $50,000 just to clone a cat. A good many seemed to think that the woman should be free to do whatever she wants with her money, and some observers were even quick to defend the $50,000 cost of the cloned kitten as a legitimate response to the death of a beloved pet. Nevertheless, the cloned kitten pushes significant ethical issues onto the nation's agenda. Are we now to accept the cloning of pets as an acceptable use of scientific technology?
Of course, Little Nicky has a history. The company that produced the cloned kitten, Genetic Savings and Clone, based in Sausalito, California, was founded by John Sperling, an eccentric billionaire who attempted to influence the 2004 presidential campaign and years ago founded the University of Phoenix, the nation's most lucrative and successful for-profit university.
Sperling is no stranger to cloning technology. Several years ago, Sperling and his associates attempted to clone a dog. That unsuccessful attempt prompted him to fund research at Texas A&M University in 1998 that eventually produced a cloned kitten, known as "Carbon Copy" or "C.C." Over time, Sperling grew frustrated at the slow pace of progress at the university and established Genetic Savings and Clone in 2000. Little Nicky is the first product of a project the company is now undertaking. Last year, GSC launched its "Nine Lives Extravaganza," a cat cloning service intended to produce up to 50 cloned kittens over the next several months.
"For the first time in history, pet cloning is being offered to the public," the company's Web site declares. "Our gene banking clients have welcomed the announcement with great interest and enthusiasm." This last statement refers to the service the company offers which allows for genetic material to be "banked" for future use.
The company is not above sales hype, of course. "Our production capacity for 2004 is limited, so if you want to clone your cat this year, please contact us promptly for further details." The company promises "that the clones we produce for our clients will be consistently healthy and bear striking resemblance to their genetic donors." An official with the company indicated that a money-back guarantee would assure clients of satisfaction.
The "Nine Lives Extravaganza" package comes complete with a video documenting the cloning process, a "presentation party and dinner," and the opportunity to allow the company to publicize the event. Dog lovers should not feel left out, because the company "is actively engaged in the development of technology to clone dogs," expecting to offer the dog cloning services as early as this year.
"Julie," as Little Nicky's owner has been identified, declared that her cloned kitten is virtually an exact replica of her dead pet. "He is identical. I have not been able to see one difference," she said. She later explained, "When Little Nicky yawned, I even saw two spots inside his mouth--just like Nicky had. Little Nicky loves water, like Nicky did, and he's already jumped into the bathtub like Nicky used to do." Yet, while Julie excitedly tells of Little Nicky's exploits in the bathtub, those more concerned with the ethical dimensions of this development are troubled by the use of cloning technology to reproduce pets. Continue >>
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