Meet Kelowna's cloned cats

Kelowna’s Kris Stewart's journey to clone her beloved cat, Bear, has reached a heartwarming conclusion.

She has welcomed two new furry companions into her life: Bear Bear and Honey Bear.

The process to make it happen was filled with anticipation and has ultimately brought Stewart a profound sense of relief and joy.

“I feel a sense of peace because now I have little creatures here,” she told Kelowna10.  “They remind me strongly of Bear. I feel like my world is a little bit better than it was, a lot better than it was two years ago.”

Getting Bear Bear and Honey Bear to Kelowna was not without its challenges.

“It took five different embryo transplants to result in a successful pregnancy for the kitty mom,” she noted. “ViaGen contacted me late January to tell me that two kittens had been born and they'd be ready for pick up mid-March.”

Now, as they have been getting settled into their new home, the two are showing similarities

“Honey Bear is more people oriented and is usually the first one of the two to come to me to want to cuddle and to stay in a cuddle,” Stewart said.  “Bear Bear seems to be just like Bear and sometimes indifferent if he's around humans. And that's exactly what Bear was like.”

Her cloning journey has been well documented, with an HBO program in the works. A French TV station also documented her experience, from the kittens’ arrival to their first moments in the house.

But for Stewart, it’s all about letting pet parents know that something like this is possible.

“In my mind, there's no ethical issues with doing this, this doesn't harm any living creature,” she explained. “If it gives pet parents peace of mind in renewing the memories of their original cherished pet by being able to clone the original pet, I don't see anything wrong with that.”