WKMG: Kittens Are World's First Cloned Pets (h/t Laurence)

A California-based company has reportedly cloned the world's first pets, according to a Local 6 News report.

Tabouli and Baba Ganoush were born in Austin, Texas, and are almost 8 weeks old, Local 6 News reported.

Lou Hawthorne, who is CEO of the Genetic Savings and Clone company in Sausalito, says scientists used more advanced technology to create the kittens.

"They're very healthy clones and they also look identical both to each other and to the donor -- which is an important breakthrough because some of the clones of the past did not have this high degree of health or resemblance."

I could only imagine the fur....

Anyway, the big question would be "Is it the same cat?" Would the basic personalities be the same? See, Hudson is the ultimate cat for people who hate cats. You can pet him whenever you want to. He comes when his name is called. Small children grab him by the tail and whirl him around their heads and he couldn't care less. If I were to have him cloned, would Hudon² be the same way?

Probably not.

Part of Hudson's personality is the environment he was brought up in. I'm 7 years older, 3 living spaces removed, and have a wife and child that I didn't have when I got him as a kitten. Another cat, even if genetically identical would not have the same experiences that Hudson did, so he'd be a totally different cat.

I get a kick out of movies that 'clone' a person, memories and all (for the most ridiculous example of this, check out Aliens 4 where not only do memories come across, so does the alien that had nothing to do with her DNA). Memories and experiences aren't genetic and die with their host.

I think a lot of people who look at cloning must think that you'll get an exact replica of what you started out with, personality and all. While predispositions may be similar, I doubt they're identical as the growth environment won't be exact and mutations do happen. Therefore the cellular structures of the cloned and the parent will not be precise.

Cloning for food to me is a good idea. Get a good healthy stock and copy it. But cloning for pets? Just buy another similar looking animal as it's cheaper than the cloning process and you probably stand just as much chance of the same personality traits.