Copycat

First: I am owned by cats. I have been so for most of my life, and a generally willing captive have I been. In all of those years I have lost many a furry friend to old age, disease, or accident. I miss all of them in some small way, and each new one to put his paw on my home has been no replacement, but a new friend to know and love.

I imagine I should be quite pleased that a private company is now in the business of cloning dead cats (and, they seem to hope, dogs soon as well) for a princely sum to be paid by their bereaved owners, or ownees, as the relationship dictates. Now a favorite pet never dies, it just goes away for a while and shrinks, then returns to loving arms and a familiar home.

But how familiar can it be? True, in most cases the clone looks like the original (not always - some clones can have completely different coats), but they are not the original. Cat behavior is a virulent combination of instinct and environment, and no two will ever be the same, no matter how closely the replication of conditions from the life of the original, and that of the clone. The pint-sized regeneration is not the same animal that once graced your house, decorating it in endlessly shed fur.

To the contrary, your cloned kitty is a poor imitation by all accounts - and it took many tries just to get one to last past six weeks alive. The new little one will also grow up to have significant and nagging health problems, and probably a considerably shorter life span. Is this really worth it?

I ask this question not in monetary terms, but emotional ones. We invest a lot of ourselves into our pets - they are our unquestioning friends, companions, and playmates. When they pass, it hurts. Sometimes we never really get over it, and a new pet seems the last ting we might want. I've known some folks who lost a close animal friend and couldn't bear to ever bring home another.

There exists a larger issue within this pet cloning business, that of cloning itself. The implications of pet cloning are daunting when the focus shifts to human beings. The bereavement involved in losing a loved family member, be it child, spouse or relative far outstrips that of a pet, and the desire to being that person "back to life" could be overwhelming, even if the clone carries none of the personality traits of its parent. Another logical, if repulsive extension of human cloning is the possibility of cloning persons bred for specific purposes - to do certain dangerous or undesirable jobs, act as house servants, etc.

What would the legal status of a clone be? Other people have thought this through with more clarity and comprehension than I am capable of doing, but that furry little beast unleashed in Texas is a real eye opener.

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