Cornell’s Genetic Breakthrough Produces Cat-Dog Hybrid
Yesterday, Cornell University’s School of Veterinary Medicine announced that it has produced the world’s first proven live-born cat-dog hybrid in a joint venture with UC Davis and Massey University (New Zealand).
The project’s lead scientist, Dr Kwiecień Zywności, proudly released photos of the male animal, named “Kotpies” — the Polish word for “catdog.”
“This milestone is the result of fifteen years of extraordinary work by the project’s geneticists,” said Zywności. “Our breakthrough came in the Fall of 2006 when we identified a multiplex single-base primer extension reaction in the cytochrome b gene in both cats and dogs. This extension provided the point in the DNA at which a dog’s DNA could be recombined with the cat’s through chromatin transfer. Once the DNA is modified, embryos are produced and implanted in the uterus of a receptor cat.”
For many years cat-dog hybrids have been rumored to occur naturally, but have never been proven. As early as 1937, a cat-dog hybrid was reported in North Carolina:
In Wilmington, N. C. last August, Mrs. Annie Mae Gannon’s cat littered in her boarding house. First came one normal, one tailless and one bobtailed kitten. Twelve hours later Mrs. Gannon’s cat bore what looked like a splotched, botched Boston bull pup. Colored black, yellow and white, it had long, sharply pointed ears, short whiskers, stub tail, short doggish hair. Unlike cat or dog it was born with eyes open. And it could crawl at once. As it grew up it made noises like a cat, sniffed and gnawed bones like a dog. It rested with its paws stretched forward dog fashion, refused to frolic with its litter mates.
A neighborhood mongrel dog was blamed for the freak. Dog and mother cat had fought all through her gestation. Mrs. Gannon’s neighbors argued that those fights had marked the kittens. Henry Sternberger, who photographed the catdog and named it Nonesuch, thought that cat and dog might have mated. In any case, decided he, this was a freak in which the American Genetic Association should be interested.
Mrs Gannon’s cat-dog was never proved to be a cat-dog hybrid, as she refused to hand the animal over to scientists for fear it might be harmed. Editor Robert C. Cook of the Association’s Journal of Heredity dismissed it as simply a gene mutation.
Kotpies, on the other hand, has undergone extensive DNA analysis and has been certified by UC Davis’ Lester A. Lyon, PhD as a cat-dog hybrid. Kotpies’ body is pure cat, but his canine pedigree is evident in the eyes and snout. “We really have no control over how the physical traits will manifest themselves,” said Zywności. “Kotpies is the offspring of a Siamese cat and a Pug dog. At this time we cannot alter the genes to produce a hybrid with custom characteristics — a Pug’s curly tail, for example — but we hope to achieve that degree of specificity in the future.”
For the record, Kotpies barks. And purrs.
Haha! You don’t catch us out. We know what date it is.
Our entire family is pro science and extremely supportive of genetic research because we believe it could help identify inherited diseases and improve health outcomes for those who suffer from those diseases. But we also believe that there are those who abuse science, perhaps in an attempt to satisfy some sick, narcissistic need for name recognition. This seems to be a case in point. There is no evedience that the creation of a cat-dog hybrid does not aid in improving the health of either species, and may even reduce the quality of life for the hybrid animal, as we are unaware of the deleterious traits that were passed on from the DNA of both species. This is not a scientific breakthrough to be celebrated.
Um…
if there’s truly a sucker born every minute, then Mommy is the one that was born at 10:35 PM on December 26, 1964. Maybe she should wait until the coffee seeps into all her brain cells before reading the news and posting comments
I want one!
Yeah Yeah….April fools!!! Sadly, Meowmy tends to believe anything your wright so I ad to point her in the right direction.
We are happy to hear about this discovery. Breakthroughs like this will continue to assure that the humans of the world will be able to surround themselves with EXACTLY the right pet to suit their needs.
For more information on this amazing breakthrough, please read about the PuppyCat here.
–Dictated by the Catster Dog, typed by the Dogster Cat
That is one ugly cat-dog, but I’m glad they put cat first! You can’t fool me – I’m Calvin!
Knead On ~
So, do they…uh…eat dogfish? Catfish? Jackalopes?
MOL!!!!!! Mommy ALMOST believed it (after reading the title) till she saw the picture! Nice one, Miss Karen!
Fast work, Orfiend. Too bad he only got his mother’s FUR color.
I will now go wash my eyes out so I can get that image outta my head…
I love the doctor’s name! Polish for April Fools?
Be careful…..some idiot human will actually try to create one.
MOLOLOL!!!
*giggles* Is this an April Fool’s joke? Is that a meezerpup? MOL
Skeezix…..should we introduce the cat dog to the Elusive Brusselfish??????
Julia, concatulations! You’re absolutely right!
Morgan checks himself all over – very worried that they may have put some DNA into his eyes at Cornell.
Looks in the mirror – sees he still looks furry handsome and sighs in relief!
Ah ha ha ha, we iz lafin now! Yoo guyz iz WAAAY to silly! An we iz soooo furry glad dis not reely tru! We don want nun a doze doggy genes innside a us! Dat wud definitely improove da dogz but seriously diminish da catz! Ha ha!
Uh oh, ha ha! We lafin agin! We fink dey shud be called POTPIES!
Potpie needz biggr PAWZ!
I am very disturbed.
We always called them doats . . .
The cat/golden retriever was way prettier.
I believe this is an April Fool’s joke.
This is pure bunk.
There is no such Polish geneticist.
There is no kotpies because the genetic distance is far too great.
Thats awsome!!! What is it, a pug and a siamese?