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Such cats would be born and raised in a
pathogen-free environment, mass-produced to order
and destroyed during or after experimentation.
This raises concerns not only about the clones'
welfare (mass-production already reduces
experimental animals to nothing more than
"living tools"), but also about the
welfare of the surrogate mothers who would be kept
in sterile
surroundings and regularly anaesthetized to allow embryo implantation - and possibly for routine
caesarian births.
Why Clone
Pets?
The question is not "when will a cat be
cloned?" but "why do we want to clone a
cat?" There are ethical and emotional issues
surrounding cloning. These issues affect cat
owners, vets, animal shelters and scientists.
There is also the bio-ethical argument of meddling
with nature. Many people believe that science is
already meddling too much with nature and that the
human race is trying to "play God". Many
believe that we are a short step away from
designer babies - and designer pets.
Despite the portrayal of instant clones in the
movie "The Sixth Day", it is not
possible to grow blanks which can be impregnated
with an individual's DNA. It is also not possible
to transfer memories from an individual to a
clone.
However, some owners will do almost anything to
get a beloved cat back, even after the pet has
died. Some owners want their cat's likeness and
personality restored in a clone. They argue that a
similar looking cat of the same breed is no
substitute. Cloning is of special interest to
owners of mixed breed cats which have been
neutered. Owners have very strong emotional bonds
to their individual cats and the emotions of grief
and loss can be so overpowering that the only
comforting thought is that a deceased pet can be
somehow brought back to life. However, the cat is
not being resurrected except in a genetic
(breeding stock) sense since the clone is a
different individual. It may be physically
identical but it is not the same animal in
personality.
However, most cat owners will adopt another cat
when the pain of grief becomes bearable or because
they cannot imagine a life without a feline
companion. Some get a cat which is similar in
looks and temperament, others want a cat which
does not resemble the deceased pet. A few never
get another cat, but rarely solely because the
previous cat was irreplaceable. The cloning of the
deceased pet might deny a home to the cats that
would otherwise have adopted. For this reason,
many cat rescuers oppose cloning as being based in
selfishness.
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