Comments on: Lifestyle Pets

By: Allergy Girl

Allergy Girl — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

That’s probably the basis of the modern computer virus and why our computers are so allergic to them.

hjkfg webt. hrnvyhl [Oh geez! There it goes again!!!!] b b gfjhgfh . Bad cat!!! Leave the computer alone!!!

By: Denise

Denise — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

What if we were to put a cat’s brain (”download it”) into a computer? Would that make the feline pet more appealing to you cat haters out there?(David, I remember you telling me about some similar process. . .)

There’s my weirdo comment on this fine Friday.

By: spoonix

spoonix — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

The notion of genetically engineered cats doesn’t bother me, so long as we invest equivalent resources into developing cybernetic dogs who will be able to defend us from these “superkittens” when the Feline Uprising begins.

By: Matt Roth

Matt Roth — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Do you think they could engineer out the basic fact that cats are evil and must be destroyed?

By: Allergy Girl

Allergy Girl — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

If they can improve human health without injuring the cats, then I say allergy free cats would an appropriate use of such technology. Vanity cats are a different matter.

Now if they could just genertically engineer dust mites, cedar pollen, ragweed, pine trees…, then maybe I could breathe again. And that would be novel!

I guess to really breathe again they also need to genetically engineer the exhaust pipes on the cars and factories.

By: Denise

Denise — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

I don’t know, David; the site says that they’re using a genetic engineering “procedure” called “gene silencing,” which will stop the cats from producing the protein that is responsible for the allergy in humans. . .

It still sounds a little too Frankenkitty for my own personal comfort level.

By: David

David — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

The whole cloning bit does seem kind of sociopathic to me. “Oh, Snowball died. Well, let’s thaw out another one.” Yikes.

But I don’t think this company is cloning. The impression I got was that these aren’t vat-grown cats; they’re bred normally but engineered for certain traits. Still kind of . . . odd.

By: Denise

Denise — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

Along the same lines: I saw a program recently about cat cloning. Apparently the genetic structure of cats is easier to replicate than that of dogs, so it’s now possible to take cells from your living cat, store them, and then once your cat dies, clone it. Right now, so the program stated, it costs about 50K.

All this seems pretty dangerous to me: by doing this kind of genetic engineering, what would we be doing to the gene pool? How would changes in one species affect others? (Not to mention, of course, what this kind of pet cloning could do to human beings in a psychological sense. Would this be just one more step in our collective quest to remain in denial about mortality? After all, we, as a society, don’t deal very well with death.)

I’ll shut up now. Apparently the topic pushed my buttons.