Devastated by the loss of their 18-year-old cat Cinnabun, a US couple tried to immortalise her. Photo / Getty Images
Devastated by the loss of their 18-year-old cat Cinnabun, a US couple tried to immortalise her. Photo / Getty Images
A US couple has paid over NZ$37,000 to immortalise their beloved cat before she died.
When Cinnabun was approaching her 19th birthday, owners Bryan and Ashley Bullerdick from North Carolina decided to look into pet cloning.
"Cinnabun was so dear to us. She had unique markings that no other catwould have," Ashley told Fox News.
Two of Barbra Streisand's dogs, Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett, were cloned from her 14-year-old Coton du Tulear Samantha, who died in 2017. Photo / Getty Images.
"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."
LIke Streisand, they purchased a NZ$2400 DNA kit from ViaGen.
"I was so devastated by the loss of my dear Samantha, after 14 years together, that I just wanted to keep her with me in some way," Streisand explained. Photo / Getty Images
Cloning a dog will set you back about NZ$75,000, while a cat will cost NZ$52,000.
It is more expensive to clone a dog as they only go into heat once or twice a year, while a cat's reproductive cycle is much more frequent.
After collecting skin samples from Cinnabun, the Bullerdick family was required to pay NZ$2380 to preserve the cells with an annual storage fee of NZ$225 on top.
A donor egg was then taken from a donor animal, and injected with Cinnabun's DNA, which was grown in a laboratory.
