---
title: "Grumpy Cat Is Dead. We Have the Technology to Clone Her."
description: "We could mourn Grumpy Cat. Or we could embrace the latest in genetic technology and clone her, like Barbra Streisand's dogs."
date: "2019-05-17"
modified: "2019-05-17"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/grumpy-cat-dead-clone"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "cloning"
  - "genetics"
  - "grumpy cat"
  - "the digest"
---

# Grumpy Cat Is Dead. We Have the Technology to Clone Her.

![We could mourn Grumpy Cat. Or we could embrace the latest in genetic technology and clone her, like Barbra Streisand's dogs.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/grumpy-cat-clone.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Shutterstock/Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

## Grumpy Cat

The famously dour-looking internet sensation Grumpy Cat has passed away, according to obituaries [by *CNN*](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/celebrities/grumpy-cat-dead-intl-scli/index.html>) and [the *New York Times*](<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/business/media/grumpy-cat-dead.html>).

We could mourn the feline and move on to the next weird internet animal. Or we could embrace the latest in genetic technology and clone her — like iconic singer Barbra Streisand famously [did with her dog](<https://futurism.com/clone-dog-barbra-streisand>).

## From Beyond

There's no question that we have the technology to clone Grumpy Cat. Several biotech companies [offer cat-cloning services](<https://viagenpets.com/cat-cloning/>), which [reportedly costs](<https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2018/03/cloning-a-pet-involves-some-unpleasant-facts-explains-one-veterinarian/>) about $25,000.

The demand is there, too. People online have been clamoring for a Grumpy Cat clone since at least 2014, when [someone on Quora](<https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-they-make-clones-of-Grumpy-Cat-so-that-everyone-could-own-one>) suggested duplicating the puss so that "everyone could own one."

But is that the legacy we'd want for Grumpy Cat, who reportedly had a [sweet personality](<http://mentalfloss.com/article/53217/16-fun-facts-about-grumpy-cat>) that clashed with her perpetually ticked-off facial expression?

## Pet Sematary

The ethics are dicey at best.

The celebrity mouser, who expired at the young age of seven, had [feline dwarfism](<https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/celebrities/grumpy-cat-dead-intl-scli/index.html>) — a condition the Grumpy Cat replicas would presumably inherit.

Cloned pets are also likely to suffer birth defects and illnesses, [according to one veterinarian](<https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2018/03/cloning-a-pet-involves-some-unpleasant-facts-explains-one-veterinarian/>). They can also look different from the original animal and have unique personalities.

Perhaps instead of copying — and maybe monetizing — Grumpy Cat's DNA in perpetuity, we should let her rest in peace.

**READ MORE:** [Grumpy Cat, Internet Celebrity With a Piercing Look of Contempt, Is Dead at 7](<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/business/media/grumpy-cat-dead.html>) \[*The New York Times*\]

**More on cloning:** [*Scientists Just Came Closer Than Ever to Cloning a Woolly Mammoth*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-cloning-woolly-mammoth>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)