Kittens are World's First Cloned Pets

A California-based company has reportedly cloned the world's first pets, according a local news report.

Tabouli and Baba Ganoush (pictured, left) 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."

The Bengal kittens are clones of a cat belonging to Hawthorne's son named Tahini.

Two different surrogates carried Tabouli and Baba Ganoush to term, according to the report. The surrogates have been working well together nursing and caring for the kittens, Hawthorne said.

"Healthy cats and kittens are being euthanized and killed and sheltered for not having homes so we'd like to see that problem taken care of before more animals, are you know, kind of extremely created," Director of San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Adoption Kiska Icard said.

Hawthorne's company plans to make more clones of people's cats this year.

Six of them will be sold to the public at $50,000 each.

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