Sneeze-free cats?
An article in the NY Times has come to my attention. Apparently a biotech company in San Diego, CA has come up with a hypoallergenic cat.
These cats being touted as “lifestyle pets” are facing a daunting task. They must produce enough sneeze-free kittens to fill a waiting list that has been accumulating for over two years!
They estimate that cats ordered today from Allerca will take between 12-15 months to deliver. The cost? $4,000.00 apiece (probably does not include shipping cost).
The full story can be found on the NY Times page
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/06/science/06cat.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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So now we have a scientific based kitty factory in effect, where these cats need to produce enough off-spring to feed the frenzy of hundreds of allergy sufferers. Although the article talks about stringent application policies, one has to wonder, if money is talking here and nothing else? One female can give birth to up to 10 kittens . That’s $40,000 folks, if all the kittens live.
One statement in the article bothers me deeply “You’re not just buying a cat; it’s a medical device that replaces shots and pills.” Already cats are seen as objects, not as living breathing wonderful creatures that they are. Putting them into this type of category continues to be in the best interest of the person not the cat. I also wonder how many cats were experimented with before this “mutated gene” was located?