(TMU) — A couple in North Carolina was so heartbroken by the death of their beloved cat, Cinnabun, that they took the unusual step of resorting to biotechnology to sustain a relationship with their furry friend.

Cinnabun had been a part of Ashley and Bryan Bullerdick’s family since the couple tied the knot back in 1999.

But when their cat approached her 19th birthday, the couple began to consider the strange and highly expensive process of cloning Cinnabun— especially after learning that singer Barbara Streisand had cloned her late dog, Samantha.

Bryan, 43, told SWNS:

“I didn’t know it was possible until I read the article … [our family was] concerned about how much time they had left with her.”

And so the couple shelled out a whopping $25,000 to begin the process of cloning their cat. The first step was purchasing a DNA kit from ViaGen Pets, the same company that cloned Streisand’s dog. However, the couple was initially hesitant about using the kit before they finally moved forward.

Ashley, 41, explained:

“We kept it for months in our freezer while we thought about it. Then we just thought we had to do it. Cinnabun was so dear to us.”

Sadly, only a month passed after the pair decided to commit to the cloning process before Cinnabun died.

But only a month later, on February 4, thanks to the skin and saliva sample they saved from Cinnabun, Cinnabun II was born.

The couple claims that the now five-month-old kitten enjoys uncanny similarities to her predecessor—including the same sleeping spot as Cinnabun, above Ashley’s head.

Bryan explained:

“When we saw the pictures of her, she looked identical to Cinnabun when she was a kitten so we just kept the same name.” 

For the husband and wife, the steep cost of the new kitty was clearly no obstacle when it came to replicating the bond they had.

Bryan told People:

“We never really thought much about the cost.

It is a lot of money but I know people who spend that on vacations all the time. This is an animal that we hope will be with us for two decades.”

By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com

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