Misconceptions About Cloning

Before deciding to clone your pet, it is important to be sure that you are fully informed about the topic. There are many misconceptions surrounding the cloning of pets. One popular misconception is that cloned pets will be carbon copies of their genetic donors. People assume animals that are genetically identical will look and act alike, but subtle differences in genetics can cause differences in appearance, and environmental factors can cause differences in behavior. Simply put, factors outside of the control of scientists that perform cloning of pets may cause differences in appearance and behavior of cloned pets.

A good example of a cloned pet who differed in appearance from her genetic donor is CC, a cat cloned from a cat named Rainbow. According to the University of Utah website, a gene that aids in determination of the color of a cat's coat resides on the X chromosome. Being female cats, CC and Rainbow both have two X chromosomes – in fact, they have the exact same two X chromosomes. What happened to these chromosomes during development, though, is what caused the difference. The website explains,

Very early in her development, each of Rainbow's cells "turned off" one entire X chromosome - and therefore, turned off either the black color gene or the orange one. This process, called X-inactivation, happens normally in females, in order to prevent them from having twice as much X-chromosome activity as males. It also happens randomly, meaning that not every cell turns off the same X chromosome.

As this process happens randomly and causes differences even between animals with the same genes, it is impossible to guarantee that the cloning of pets will result in identical animals.
Differences in the environments in which animals develop also result in differences, even among animals that are genetically identical. The effectiveness of training pets is evidence that behavior is not determined entirely by genetics. Behaviors can be learned, and every aspect of an animal's environment can have an impact on the development of its personality. Interactions with people, other animals, and inanimate objects can form memories and patterns of behavior. As each animal's environment and experience is different, even if only slightly, cloned pets will not form the same personality or behaviors as their genetic donors.
Clearly, there is no guarantee that cloned pets will resemble their genetic donors in appearance or behavior. The perpetuation of the industry, though, seems to rely on the misconception that cloned pets are exact replicas. Perhaps as more people begin to realize this, the cloning of pets will cease to be so widely accepted.