Cloning cats has been a topic of debate for many years, but the concept of cloning a pet may soon become mainstream. The first cloned cat, named CC, short for “Carbon Copy”, was born on December 22, 2001. CC was created at Texas A&M University by taking a few ovary cells from a cat named Rainbow and implanting the nuclei from the cells into an egg. This resulted in the birth of CC, the cloned cat.
Although the cloned cat seemed to be healthy, the scientists who created CC did get a big surprise: She didn’t look anything like Rainbow, the cat that she was a clone of. Rainbow was a calico cat that had grey and orange markings, but CC didn’t have any orange markings. Scientists didn’t expect this to occur but eventually determined that the nuclei that they used didn’t include the gene responsible for developing the orange markings.
CC the cat lived a long and happy life with her adopted parents, Duane and Shirley Kraemer. She even gave birth to four kittens, three of which survived. This means she was not only the first cloned cat in existence, but she was also the first cloned cat to ever give birth. CC lived with her offspring in a specially designed shed in the backyard of Duane and Shirley’s home. She ended up living to a ripe old age of 18 years and was healthy until she was diagnosed with kidney failure. Sadly, she passed away from the condition on March 3, 2020.
I was aware that cat cloning has been taking place for many years, but I didn’t realize just how mainstream it seems to have become. There are many companies out there, like Gemini Genetics, that promise to clone your cat and create a new life with 99.9% genetic similarity, an almost identical appearance, and the same general lifespan and reproductivity abilities. It seems that all you have to do is provide the company with a tissue sample of your beloved cat, and they will eventually deliver you a cloned cat. Cloning isn’t cheap, though. It typically costs thousands of dollars, so the idea of cloning a cat is likely out of reach for many people. That said, a woman named Kelly in the United States cloned her cat not too long ago, as did a man named Heung in China.
Of course, there are a few controversies surrounding the idea of cloning a cat or any domestic animal at all, for that matter. Ethics are behind most of the concerns. For instance, many feel that cloning a cat indirectly harms the stray and abandoned cats that already exist and are in need. It’s also thought by some people that cloned cats may not be as healthy or as long lived as the original cats from which they were cloned. But there is no evidence so far that indicates that cloned cats have any health problems that the original cats would not have had. That said, if cloning becomes mainstream in the food industry, it could cause more pain and suffering than is necessary because there will be many more animals born and raised in terrible conditions just to be killed for food.
The idea of cloning cats is intriguing, but there is still a great deal of research that needs to be done before making the process widely available to the average person. The only way to know how cloning might affect an animal or an industry in the long term is to create more cloned animals and see what happens.
In conclusion, cloning cats is a complex and controversial topic, and it’s important to consider the ethical implications of cloning a pet. CC the cat was the first cloned cat in existence and she was able to live a long and happy life. There are now companies that offer cloning services, but the process is expensive and not available to everyone. It’s important to consider the potential ethical implications of cloning cats and other animals before making the process widely available.
