Pet cloning soars in popularity in China as owners told they can defy death

Independent

24-03-2025

When Liu Xing's beloved cat passed away after 15 years by her side, she couldn't bear the thought of life without him. Instead of saying goodbye to her pet forever, she turned to science.
After investing nearly ¥140,000 (£14,941) in cloning her cat Tomcat, she welcomed a nearly identical version of her late pet, whom she named Little Tomcat.
'It was worth every penny,' she told The South China Morning Post.
Liu Xing is far from alone. A growing number of pet owners in China are turning to cloning as a way to extend their bonds with their furry companions. Once an idea confined to the pages of science fiction, pet cloning is now an established business, fuelled by deep emotional attachments, advancing biotechnology, and a pet market that is expanding at an unprecedented rate.
The rise of pet cloning in China is taking place alongside an unprecedented pet boom. As of last year, the country's urban pet supplies market reached a staggering ¥300.2bn (£32bn), marking a 7.5 per cent increase year-on-year, reported The Global Times. The number of urban pets climbed to 124 million and is expected to surge further, with the market predicted to hit ¥400bn (£42.6bn) by 2027, according to the China Pet Industry White Paper 2025.
Despite government efforts to increase the country's fertility rate, pets now outnumber young children in China. In 2024, China officially had more pets than children under the age of four, according to a Goldman Sachs report cited by Xinhua News Agency. The report estimated that one in every eight urban residents in China now owns a pet, underscoring the country's changing demographics and lifestyle preferences.
Liu Xiaoxia, deputy secretary-general of the Pet Industry Branch of the China Animal Agriculture Association, cited the changing nature of Chinese pastimes, spending patterns, demographic changes, and rise in disposable income in urban areas to account for the rise in the number of pets.
'Pets used to be kept for guarding homes and other practical purposes. Now, they're taking on more 'humanised' roles, valued for emotional interaction and companionship. Their deep integration into people's daily lives also led to an explosive growth in consumption,' Liu told The Global Times.
Cloning a pet however, doesn't come cheap. One of the industry leaders, Sinogene, charges around $40,000 (£30,946) for a cat and $50,000 (£38,683) for a dog, according to a report in Nikkei Asia. Sinogene's website offers customers the change to 'get your friends [back]'. A section about dog cloning pledges to 'help you keep your canine companion's spirit alive'.
The process involves taking a skin sample from the original pet, inserting its DNA into a donor egg, and implanting the embryo into a surrogate mother. The result: a genetically identical twin, born months – or even years – after the original pet has passed away.
Despite the high cost, demand is growing. In recent years, discussions about pet cloning on Chinese social media have garnered over 460 million views, reflecting intense public curiosity and debate. Several companies now offer the service, and pet owners willing to pay the price often see cloning as the ultimate act of devotion.
While cloning is sold as a scientific way to 'reunite' with a lost pet, the process is not without controversy. Animal rights activists have argued that surrogate mothers used in cloning undergo unnecessary suffering, calling the practice 'cruel' and unethical.
Sinogene says its process 'preserves all the unique traits that make your dog irreplaceable, including temperament, intelligence, and physical appearance'. But many have questioned whether cloned pets, while genetically identical, truly carry the same personality and spirit as their predecessors.
Huang Yu, the owner of China's first cloned cat, Garlic, experienced this firsthand. Despite DNA confirmation that the new Garlic was an exact genetic copy, his markings were slightly different – and more importantly, he didn't react to Huang the way the original Garlic did.
'The basic pattern of his coat is the same, but the distinctive patch of black fur on his chin is gone,' Huang admitted to Sixth Tone in 2019, adding that he had been a 'bit disappointed' when he saw the new Garlic for the first time.
There have also been logistical mishaps. In one case, a cloning company accidentally produced an entire litter of cloned puppies instead of a single one. The owner, Liang Xuan, was left with multiple identical dogs – an unexpected, and expensive, surprise.
'Either it does not succeed, or there will be a whole litter,' Liang told SCMP, ending up adopting the entire litter.
While some find comfort in the idea of a cloned companion, others continue to question whether a genetic copy can ever truly replace a beloved pet, whose personality and memories are uniquely shaped by experience. The debate over the morality and ethics behind cloning, its effectiveness, and the long-term consequences is far from settled.