Screenshot from Sina Weibo

A Chinese university in East China's Shandong Province is looking for a male cat for a cloned cat the university has bred as rutting season approaches. 

The cloned female cat named "Ping'an" which means "safety" in Chinese was cloned by Qingdao Agricultural University in Shandong last summer, becoming the first cat to be cloned by a Chinese university. 

It was cloned from a somatic cell of a British Longhair cat's skin which was collected in 2019. The somatic cell was cultured and frozen in a liquid nitrogen container. 

Last year, researches from the university cultivated cloned embryos by implanting the somatic cells into a cat's enucleated oocytes. The cloned embryos were transferred into a female cat's fallopian tubes and the cloned cat Ping'an was finally born after the female's cat's 62-day pregnancy. 

Last month, Ping'an started to have estrus symptoms, showing that it reached sexual maturity. 

In order to evaluate its reproductive capacity, the researchers intend to find a proper mate for her. A male cat of the same species, British Longhair, is preferred. Besides, the male cat should be healthy and without any genetic disorders or infectious diseases. 

On China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, many internet users posted photos and listed detailed information of their pet cats to "compete" for the opportunity for their pets. 

"My cat Mocha looks handsome and has a nice personality. It pays attention to hygiene and details, and can take care of girls. It has no bad habits or chaotic social life," a netizen said. 

So far, the researchers have received a slew of pet cat photos from their owners and they have selected one potential mate which fits the requirements. But a series of physical examinations have to be taken by the candidate before the final decision is made. 

Global Times