Many people love their dogs and cats like family members. But what if you never had to say goodbye? New technology allows people to clone their pets before they pass away.
Here are the critical points about pet cloning:
- Scientists can take a small piece of a pet’s skin and grow new living cells
- The pet’s cells are then put into an egg to create a cloned genetic twin
- Cloning pets costs around $50,000, but the industry is growing
- Some people clone pets to continue their beloved companion’s genes
Would you ever consider cloning your furry friend? Read on to learn more.
What is Pet Cloning?
Pet cloning means creating an identical genetic copy of a dog, cat or other animal. It works a lot, like cloning Dolly the sheep in 1996, which stunned the world. But these days, cloning pets has become a big business.
Scientists start by taking a tiny sample of skin cells from the pet. They carefully freeze the cells to preserve the DNA code inside. When the owner is ready to clone their pet, the frozen cells are thawed out.
One of those cells gets inserted into an egg cell, and its DNA is removed. This “blank” egg is then zapped with electricity to grow into an embryo with the pet’s DNA. After a few days, the embryo is implanted into a surrogate mother animal to be born as a clone.
The Cloning Process Explained Simply
There are three main steps to cloning a dog or cat:
- Denucleation: Scientists remove the DNA from an egg cell to create a blank egg
- Reconstruction: A cell from the pet is inserted into the blank egg
- Fusion and Activation: An electric pulse is applied to fuse the cells and activate embryo growth
Once activated, the cloned embryo is transferred to a surrogate mother to develop and be born naturally. So, the clone is carried by a different mother than the original pet.
Why Clone a Pet?
Owners have different reasons for cloning beloved animal companions. Kelly B spent over $50,000 to clone her late cat Chai and received a new kitten named Belle.
“I’m not rich; I just wanted to continue part of my cat’s genes,” Kelly explained. “Belle has the same personality as Chai but different fur markings.”
Another owner said cloning let her experience her special bond with her late dog all over again through his clone.
While critics argue the ethics of cloning pets for profit, supporters believe it provides comfort for grieving owners missing a cherished animal. And in the future, cloning could even bring back species facing extinction.
More to Consider
Of course, cloning isn’t a replica – clones can look different and have influences from their new environment. Cloning success rates are low, which raises concerns about animal treatment.
Those in favour say pets are already treated better than livestock. But is it ethical to allow the cloning industry to grow for profit? It’s a complex debate with good points on both sides.
What do you think about the idea of cloning dogs and cats? Would you ever clone your pet, or is it better to get a new animal companion after passing away? Share your thoughts below.
