Purrfectly insane (another cloning clip)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...6thur2-06.html
(I like the way this was written, though what good it will do...:confused: )
Purrfectly insane
A cloned cat can't replace the original
Jan. 6, 2005 12:00 AM
You could call the $50,000 cloned pet cat part of the natural evolution of rugged individualism. In modern America, we don't have to carve out a niche in a hostile frontier. But we can sure design Our Own World with personal preference settings on everything from the laptop to the cat.
A company called Genetic Savings and Clone made a Texas woman's pet-preference dream come true recently when it handed her a cloned kitten. The company reportedly has four other cat clones "in production," and holds genetic material from hundreds of pets in its vault. A cloned dog is anticipated within months.
But cats and dogs are not programmable telephones with a ring as individual as you are. advertisement
They are sentient creatures. And although the very expensive clone kitten may be the same genetically, it will never be an exact duplicate of the beloved 17-year-old cat whose death inspired a woman to order a copy.
The cloned cat's personality will be shaped by a different set of circumstances - at least we hope the woman (who wishes to remain anonymous) has changed significantly in the last 17 years. People - and pets - are supposed to change.
Hence, the cat will disappoint on two levels. First, it will not be exactly the same. Second, the expectation that it should be the same will dampen the joy of getting to know a new animal.
The old-fashioned, take-your-chances method of replacing an animal involved an element of surprise - not to mention shredded curtains - that was a sure-fire distraction from the sorrow of losing a beloved pet.
That sounds like a rugged individualist's way to find a furry friend. This cloning smacks of something a Woody Allen-esque character would discuss at great length on an analyst's couch.
Besides, countless unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized every day. Factor in what $50,000 could do for some human children whose families don't make nearly that much in a year, and the whole thing looks nuts.
People with more money than brains may continue to shell out cash for copy cats and duplicate dogs, but they will wind up poorer because of all the undesigner original animals they will never get to know.
So don't kid yourself. Cloned pets are not about shaping your world your way. They are about giving in to shallowness and self-indulgence.
