Firm offers cloned kitties for $50,000

SAUSALITO, Calif., April 15 (UPI) -- A California company is offering cloned cats for $50,000 and so far, five clients are reported to have signed up for carbon copy kitties.

Genetic Savings & Clone of Sausalito, Calif., sponsored the first domestic cat clone two years ago. Now, it's going commercial using its own laboratory for the first time, the San Francisco Chronicle said Thursday.

Genetic has promised to produce nine cloned kittens by November. Six will be for clients and three for staff members, who will show off their clones at veterinary shows. CEO Lou Hawthorne says he thinks the world is full of pet lovers eager to follow suit.

The company got its start when John Sperling, who made millions as founder of the University of Phoenix, backed research called "the Missyplicity Project" to clone a beloved husky mix, Missy.

Hawthorne is cloning his own pet, Tahini, a 6-month-old Bengal cat who likes to stalk deer in her Mill Valley backyard.