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Written by Paul
Dr Paul Manktelow is a vet who’s worked for almost 20 years on the front line in some of the UK’s busiest veterinary hospitals. As Chief Vet in the Charity Sector, he leads a team of vets and nurses that treat thousands of pets every year. Paul also appears regularly in the media as a TV and radio presenter, writer, public speaker and podcast producer.
Pet cloning sounds like something from science fiction. But it is very much a reality — and it is becoming an increasingly visible topic for pet guardians in the UK.
You may have seen headlines about companies offering to “clone your pet.” While cloning procedures are not currently carried out within the UK, some businesses based here offer tissue preservation services and facilitate cloning through laboratories overseas, where the practice is permitted.
So what does this actually mean?
What Is Pet Cloning?
Pet cloning uses a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, the same scientific method that created Dolly the sheep in 1996.
In simple terms, a cell is taken from the animal you want to clone. The DNA from that cell is inserted into an egg cell that has had its own genetic material removed. The resulting embryo is then implanted into a surrogate mother.
The animal that is born shares the same nuclear DNA as the original.
But this is where it is important to pause.
A Clone Is Not the Same Animal
There is a common misconception that cloning “brings a pet back.” When ultimately, it does not.
A clone shares genetic material, but it is a new individual. Personality, behaviour and temperament are shaped by environment, upbringing, maternal influences and life experience.
Even physical characteristics such as coat patterning may differ.
Cloning does not recreate a relationship. It creates a new one with an entirely new pet.
The Legal Position in the UK
Cloning domestic pets is not currently carried out within the UK. However, UK-based companies are offering to store tissue samples and arrange cloning procedures overseas.
This creates a regulatory grey area, particularly in relation to oversight and animal welfare standards.
For pet guardians, this means the service may be accessible, but not necessarily governed by UK regulatory frameworks.
The Welfare Considerations
Cloning is not a simple or highly efficient process.
It has historically involved:
- Low efficiency rates
- Failed embryos and pregnancies
- Use of surrogate mothers
- Potential production of multiple offspring
While techniques have improved, the process still relies on animals being used as part of a reproductive system that is not medically necessary.
This raises important questions.
What happens to surrogate animals?
What happens if more than one clone is produced?
What happens to animals that are not selected?
These are not theoretical concerns. They sit at the centre of the ethical debate.
The Bigger Question
Cloning is not a medical treatment. It is a reproductive process often driven by human emotion, particularly grief.
In an episode of The Consult Room, I explore this topic in more depth, including the science, the limitations and the ethical considerations.
Pet cloning represents a remarkable scientific capability.
But the more important question may be whether it represents something we should do – not just something we can.
