Little Nicky (cat) facts for kids

Little Nicky was a special cat born on October 17, 2004. He was the first cat ever to be "cloned" for money. Cloning means making an exact copy of an animal using its DNA. Little Nicky was made from the DNA of an older cat named Nicky, who was a Maine Coon cat and had lived for 17 years before he passed away in 2003.

Little Nicky's owner, a woman named Julie from north Texas, paid $50,000 to have her beloved cat Nicky copied. Julie said that Little Nicky was very much like the original Nicky. They even had similar personalities and looked alike.

How Little Nicky Was Cloned

The company that cloned Little Nicky was called Genetic Savings & Clone. It was located in California. This company later closed down in 2006. Before Little Nicky, this company had already helped clone the first cat ever cloned successfully. They worked with Texas A&M University to do this.

The scientists used a special method called "chromatin transfer" to clone Little Nicky. This is a type of nuclear transfer. Imagine taking the important genetic material (DNA) from one cell and putting it into another cell that has had its own DNA removed. This process helps create a new animal that is a copy of the original. The cloning of Little Nicky happened because the company had a special offer in 2004 called "Nine Lives Extravaganza."

Learn More About Cloning

• Pet cloning – Discover more about how pets can be cloned.
• CC (cat) – Read about the very first cat that was cloned.
• Genetic Savings & Clone – Learn about the company that cloned Little Nicky.
• List of individual cats – See a list of other famous cats.