Kelly Anderson never planned to clone Chai. But when tragedy took her beloved 5-year-old Ragdoll in 2017, a mere two weeks after she learned of a Cedar Park biotech company helping the bereaved resurrect their pets, she felt it was fate. Four years later, she brought home Belle, the spitting image of her beverage-named bestie.
She’s not alone. Since its launch in 2015, ViaGen Pets & Equine, the only companion pet cloning firm in the U.S., has duplicated thousands of cats, dogs, and horses. And the steep price—$50,000 for Whiskers Jr., $50,000 for Fido 2.0, and $85,000 for Black Beauty II—hasn’t stopped clients from delaying car purchases and house down payments for another chance with their furry friend. “Every week, we get a letter from somebody telling us ‘I didn’t do [something], and what a terrific decision that was because my car never loved me back the way my dog’s clone does,” says ViaGen President Blake Russell.