The Pros & Cons of Cloning Pets

Because so many pet owners have strong emotional ties with their pets, it is a very tragic fact that most pets--cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and horses--have a much shorter lifespan than humans do. For this reason, some companies now offer cloning services to pet owners, giving them the ability to make copies of their beloved pets. However, there are positive and negative aspects of the cloning practice.

  1. Continuity of a Relationship

    • Though cloning is by no means a way of resurrecting a lost friend, it does give a pet owner the ability to have a pet that has a tendency toward the same emotional and behavioral characteristics as the original. This allows the pet owner to maintain a certain sense of continuity with his beloved pet.

    Health Risks

    • Twenty-three percent of all cloned mammals cannot reach adulthood in a healthy state. National Geographic Magazine lists the common problems among these animals as obesity, anemia, heart defects, liver fibrosis and respiratory failure. In theory, since these animals are genetically identical, they should have the exact same tendencies toward such problems as the donor animal, but these problems persist, and researchers do not yet know how to bring their likelihood down to normal levels.

      Additionally, cloning often leads to an added risk to the surrogate mother. Cloning often results in increased occurrences in pregnancy complications, which may necessitate surgeries on the mother.

    Imperfect Copying

    • Some people have the idea that making a genetic copy of a beloved cat will result in a cat that looks exactly the same, but this is not necessarily the case. When dealing with animals that have fur of multiple colors, for instance, it is almost a sure thing that the color patterns in a clone's fur will not be the same as the color patterns in the donor's fur. Likewise, though DNA does cause animals to have certain behavioral tendencies, environment and experiences are also factors that help to develop an animal's character. In short, you will never end up with a pet that is exactly the same as the original was.

    Cost

    • Even extremely well-bred pets generally only cost hundreds or thousands of dollars each. However, a cloned cat will cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Upon understanding the other risks and inconsistencies involved, many may not feel that this is worth it.

    Social Impact

    • The Humane Society argues that we already have a pet overpopulation problem. According to them, if you really claim to care about animals, you should adopt a new pet from your local animal shelter rather than spend large amounts of money on a clone of a former pet.

      In a September 10, 2009 press release, BioArts International announced its intention to stop cloning dogs. In the release, the company claims that it cannot compete with companies that cut costs by failing to abide by strict codes of conduct similar to its own.