Cc illustrates the complexities of pet cloning
By Kristen Hays
Rainbow, left, nuzzles the ear of her clone, named "cc," on a table at Texas A&M University a little more than a year after cc's birth. Even though the cats share the same DNA, each uses it differently, leaving them with different markings and personalities.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Rainbow the cat is a typical calico with splotches of brown, tan and gold on white. Cc, her clone, has a striped gray coat over white. Rainbow is reserved. Cc is curious and playful. Rainbow is chunky. Cc is sleek. Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society might be inclined to say: I told you so. But then, so would cc’s creators at Texas A&M University. Sure, you can clone your favorite cat. But the copy will not necessarily act or even look like the original.
CC (for “carbon copy”) is just over a year old. Her birth Dec. 22, 2001, was big news when it was announced last February because it was the first time a household pet had been cloned. Previous mammal clones were barnyard animals like cows and goats.
Cc’s creation was funded by Genetic Savings & Clone, a company that hopes to make money from people’s desires to duplicate their favorite pets. Last February, in the journal Nature, the A&M researchers published details of the project and DNA test results that showed cc was a clone.