Cloning Of Dogs And Cats.

Did you know that in the U.S. there are companies that are "trying" to clone cats and dogs? I certainly didn't. This process is still very experimental and subjects hundreds of dogs and cats to very painful and invasive procedures and produces abnormal animals who fail to survive birth. This is not mentioned by cloning companies when advertising their services. According to published reports, a total of 3656 cloned embryos, more than 319 egg "donors," and 214 surrogate mothers have been used to produce, now get this, just 5 cloned dogs and 11 cloned cats who were able to survive only 30 days after birth.


These cloning companies try to capitalize on people's grief over losing a beloved pet. They charge exorbitant fees for gene banking (storage of genetic material). Cloning is a way to, like the Phoenix, resurrect a beloved pet. South Korea is a hot spot for this horrid practice. But their government has suspended and prosecuted researchers for fraudulent activities.

It seems that 80% of Americans do not support this practice. This industry in the U.S., is not regulated like other research facilities that use animals for research. They (clone researchers), should be held to the same standards, minimal as they are, that are outlined in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).

Here are some prices: Genetic Saving & Clone, Inc., (what an original name) was started in 1999 by John Sperling, a billionaire, who wanted to clone his own dog. They charged clients anywhere from $295.00 to $1395.00 for gene banking and, get this, $50,000.00 to clone a cat, even though the only cat the company had cloned, has a different physical appearance and personality from her genetic donor. In 2004, this company offered to accept 6 "orders" for cloned cats, but were only able to obtain 5 and only delivered 2. They have failed to clone a dog. In 2006, they closed their doors, thankfully.

I searched the internet on genetic banking and found many, many companies that are attempting to clone.