Assemblywoman Castillo: Just Say No to Genetically Engineered Pets

Biotech firms are ushering in a new era of engineered animals including glow-in-the-dark rabbits, hypoallergenic cats, dire wolves and unicorns.

Developments by the Los Angeles Project and Colossal Biosciences using CRISPR gene editing, cloning, and related techniques, though some animals remain aspirational or involve significant scientific caveats.

Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo (R–Corona) is fighting for legislation to prohibit the sale and import of these genetically engineered pets created solely for cosmetic purposes, as advances in gene-editing technology make designer pets increasingly possible and attractive. 

The Ethics Over Aesthetics Act, AB 1382, would protect animal welfare while continuing to support legitimate scientific and medical research.

“As technology moves forward, our responsibility to protect animals must move forward too,” said Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo. “Genetic engineering has the potential to improve animal health and support lifesaving research. But animals should never be changed simply to create a product that is more unusual or more profitable. AB 1382 protects animal welfare while continuing to support responsible science.”

According to Assemblywoman Castillo, AB 1382 will prohibit the importation for profit, sale, or offer for sale of pet animals genetically altered for non-health-related reasons, while continuing to permit genetic modifications if such changes directly benefit the health of the animal or enhance its relationship with humans. The bill will establish a civil penalty of at least $5,000 per violation to deter unethical breeding practices.

“AB 1382 reaffirms California’s commitment to animal welfare and ethical science by ensuring that genetic modifications in pets serve a legitimate, ethical purpose—not profit-driven cosmetic experiments,” Castillo explains.

“Rapid advances in gene-editing technology are making it possible to alter an animal’s DNA in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Much of that work has led to important breakthroughs in medicine and animal health.”

The Los Angeles Project, co-founded by biohacker Josie Zayner and Cathy Tie, has used CRISPR, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, to insert a green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene—originally from jellyfish—into rabbit embryos. The goal is commercial glowing pets that fluoresce under UV or blue light. Earlier fluorescent rabbits, cats, dogs, and other animals existed mainly for research (e.g., tracking genes or disease models), but this effort targets the pet market. As of early 2025 reports, embryo work was underway with plans for births shortly thereafter; fluorescent animals like GloFish have long been commercially available, the Washington Times reported in 2025.

While investments have been made to further this endeavor for potentially beneficial medical advancements, some companies have begun the development of genetically modified cats, dogs, and other pets with altered appearances to fulfill consumer demand for “designer” traits, despite unknown long-term health risks,  Castillo’s bill summary says. These genetic modifications run the risk of prioritizing aesthetics over the well-being of the animal, as well as drive consumer demand for novelty pets when there already exists a pet overpopulation crisis.

As these technologies become more accessible, policymakers are confronting questions about where legitimate scientific innovation ends and cosmetic genetic engineering begins.

Companies are already exploring genetically engineered “designer pets,” including glow-in-the-dark rabbits, miniature livestock kept as companion animals, and even proposals for so-called “unicorn” animals. Assemblywoman Castillo believes California should act now before these kinds of novelty pets become commercial products that put appearance ahead of animal welfare.

“Animals should never be valued more for how they look than for their health and well-being,” Castillo added. “With so many healthy dogs and cats already waiting in shelters for loving homes, California should be encouraging adoption, not creating demand for animals engineered simply to turn heads. Innovation should improve animal welfare, not create novelty products. AB 1382 helps ensure California draws that line.”

AB 1382 has successfully advanced through the Assembly and is now being considered in the Senate. Although the bill is not a fiscal measure, it is currently being held on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Suspense File as part of the committee’s review process. The bill passed the Assembly with strong bipartisan support and no opposition. If it is released from the Suspense File, AB 1382 will advance to the Senate Floor for consideration later this legislative session.

The Globe will monitor Assemblywoman Castillo’s AB 1382.