A couple, from North Caroline, US, has paid £20,000 to clone their cat that had been with them since they got married two decades ago.
Watch the couple who paid £20,000 to clone their cat
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Bryan and Ashley Bullerdick got married in 1999. The couple had two cats Cinnabun, a rescue cat from the Humane Society, and Ginger, a Himalayan that they bought from a breeder.
Bryan said: “They were very special to us. They started their life with us.”
The couple paid £20,000 to clone Cinnabun but six months before its clone arrived, Cinnabun passed away.
Bryan said: “This was a special cat from when we were newlyweds, our kids grew up with the cat, she was important.”
“It is a lot of money but I know people who spend that on vacations all the time. This is an animal that we hope will be with us for two decades.”
“It was a decision that we could afford to make and we still donate money to the cat rescue organisation, the Humane Society, every month.”
After Bryan read an article about pop legend Barbara Streisand cloning her Maltipoo, Sammie, he decided to clone Cinnabun.
However, Ashley was not sure. She said she was not against it but she had some doubts.
In August 2018, Bryan bought a $1,600 DNA kit from Texas-based cloning company ViaGen Pets.
ViaGen Pets has been cloning horses and livestock for 17 years. They started cloning cats and dogs three-and-a-half years ago.
Ashley said: “We kept it for months in our freezer while we thought about it. Then we just thought we had to do it. Cinnabun was so dear to us. She had unique markings that no other cat would have.”
“She clung to me, she slept with me at night, by my head on my pillow. She was right by my side throughout the day.”
ViaGen Pets requires at least two skin samples to collect the DNA to clone the pet.
The couple sent in their cat’s samples but six months before its clone arrived, Cinnabun passed away.
The clone was delivered to the couple six months after Cinnabun died.
Ashley said: “It was a special day of course. I was so excited to welcome her home. She was just two months old but she looked just like her.”
“Even though we got the original Cinnabun when she was nine months old, just seeing the two-month-old Cinnabun overwhelmed me with joy.”
“As far as looks go, they are spot on. Even their personalities are so similar. They are both feisty.”
The couple says the new Cinnabun sleeps in the exact same spot as the original Cinnabun – on top of Ashley’s pillow.
Ashley said: “She likes to sleep by my head on my pillow and on a particular bar stool in the kitchen.”
Bryan added: “We wanted to call the new cat Bun Bun but when we saw the pictures of her, she looked identical to Cinnabun when she was a kitten so we just kept the same name.”
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