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Would You Ever Consider Cloning Your Beloved Pet?

Sylvester

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As many of you know I have recently lost my beloved feline friend, Jeff. And I can honestly attest to the fact, that yes, I am looking into cloning her. I admit to that statement with great bewilderment on my part since I never thought I would ever seriously think about cloning an animal.



How about you? Is there a certain animal friend that made you think about cloning.....a friend that you would, or have had, a very hard time in letting go of? What if the price of cloning dropped dramatically, would you consider it then?

I know that cloning Jeff would not result in Jeff, but maybe a way of having one of her kittens. I also am aware of the fact that environment, not just genes, plays a huge role in the shaping of our unique personalities. And for those who are religious or spiritual, can cloning bring a soul back?

But even if you could only bring a fraction of them back, wouldn't it be worth it?




 

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11bryces

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very sad and sorry for your loss i did have my 16 terrier mix dog that passed away this winter and it was very hard for me, but i would never consider clonning just because just like you said, it will not bring back the pet i lost, just a beta version of it.

i believe that when an animal pass, we have to go forward and appreciate all the good times we spent with him/her and let them rest.

Yuma my american cocker spaniel is the love of my love but when it is her time to "rest" i will not attempt anything and even if it was free to clone an animal it will not- be her and it will make me even more sad.
Yuma the american princess ( will be posting new pictures often) | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
i hope you don't take my response the wrong way because i understand where your coming from. :sorrow:
 

EkkieLu

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You might get a close resemblance, but isn't it really Jeff's personality you fell in love with?
 

cassiesdad

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...an interesting question.

I'd have to say no...the concept just doesn't sit quite right with me.
 

suileeka

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I don't think I would. The expectation of the animal behaving a certain way and having a certain personality would be too great and doesn't feel fair to the animal. I would love to have offspring or a sibling of some of my departed pets, though.
 

MahaSarah

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I don't think I would either. :o: Maybe clone to like get the same exact appearance but different personality.
 

Fuzzy

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:sadhug2: Really sorry for your loss.

I too was completely heartbroken at the loss of my budgie and soul mate, Boo. About a year after his passing, I found an animal communicator, Pea Horsley. Even though I read her first book, I was still a little sceptical. I did two of her workshops and then I asked her to contact Boo. I was shocked at what she had to say to me. There were things that she couldn't have known. The most mind blowing message from Boo was him telling me to "sleep on the other side of the bed". Pea didn't know what it meant, but I did. Boo slept with me. His cage was always right by my bed on the same side. When Boo died I continued to sleep as near to him as possible - I still do. It was Boo's way of telling me to move on. I did ask if he would reincarnate, but Pea said he was too happy and busy with his new life. Still he comes to see me if he knows I am unhappy and wants me to experience flying with him. His story is in Pea's second book.

So no, I would not think of cloning an animal, because I believe the essence of that animal lives on.
 

faislaq

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I love the idea of cloning! It's fascinating. :geek: Unfortunately, unless they've come a long way you're even guaranteed a spitting image. I remember years ago they tried cloning a cat & her clones all looked different somehow. (This article explains it way better: Clones: Identical but Different - OpenMind )

Aside from the cost & not getting the product you're actually wanting, it really is the personality you fall in love with and no other animal will have had the experiences that made Jeff Jeff. Besides, there are so many individuals in the world and I tend to grow to love them in their own rights, admittedly some more than others. And while I still miss the ones that have passed, I know there are still a couple of the really special individuals that will come into my life. :)

:2cents:
 

Shezbug

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Very interesting to think about but I do not think I personally would opt to clone any pet or person who I loved and lost.
I am of the belief that we have people and animals come into our lives to help us learn the things we are supposed to learn and part of that learning (for me anyway) is letting go of them freely when the time comes. As much as I miss certain pets and people who have passed on I don’t feel it is my right to try to replicate or replace them....I try my best to only remember the beautiful things about them and the good times we shared.
I guess to be honest I am not really totally sure how I feel about things being cloned. I don’t disagree with it but I can’t say I am totally comfortable with the idea that they can and do do it either.

I am so sorry that you are still hurting and missing Jeff, she must have been one amazing friend for you :)
 

metalstitcher

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I could never clone Gracie or Bo. It is their soul I love and what makes them individual to themselves. You could never clone a soul and I would never want something that is a copy of the original.
 

Tazlima

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Heh, guess I'm in the minority here. I don't have issues with the idea of cloning in general. Identical twins have matching DNA and they're clearly separate people with their own personalities and quirks and, I assume, souls. A clone is basucally just an identical twin with a time gap.

Cloning a pet you're grieving for? That I'm a little leery of, not because of any issue with cloning itself, but because of expectations. If someone expected the clone to be exactly like their previous pet, that wouldn't be fair to the current one.

However, you don't need a clone for that problem to arise. I've seen people lose a pet and proceed to get another of the same breed with the expectation that it will be very similar to the one they lost. Heck, it even happens when people lose a child... some people will put unfair pressure on a younger sibling to live up to the idealized memory of the one they lost. It's unhealthy and doesn't end well for anyone involved.

I'd imagine cloned pets would be more at risk of receiving this treatment, or of having it cranked up to eleven. However, it's not the action itself, but the expectations placed on the new pet that determine whether it's healthy or not. The way the OP is approaching the idea... of treating the clone as Jeff's sibling or offspring, and not expecting him to be exactly the same... seems healthy to me. It's not really that different from someone who gets all their pets from the same breeder, adopting the sibling or nibling of the one they lost, as a way to retain a connection to the one they lost without expecting it to be identical.

Grief is a funny thing. People handle it in so many ways, and sometimes they surprise themselves. As long as it's not hurting anyone, there's no wrong way to deal with a loss.
 
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melissasparrots

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I probably would not just because I'd be unlikely to repeat all the experiences that shaped the animal. For example, I dearly loved my childhood yorkie and I had him for 16 years. He saved the day by alerting me to a fire and wouldn't let me sleep. But, I was 12 when he was born, living in a family, in a different house with other animals and a much different life. The clone would not be him.
 

~Drini~

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I would! As @Tazlima mentioned, clones are similar to identical twins. Even though my companion would be permanently gone, it would be comforting to have either one of their offspring or a clone (which would be a new individual, but still related to my companion). I think what you get out of cloning a pet is entirely dependent on what your expectations are.

 

JSurdyBurdy

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When we were losing our French bulldog to cancer we fantasized about cloning her but the price was prohibitive. She was a great dog.
If the price dropped dramatically I probably wouldn't do it because everyone would be doing it and the world would be overrun with dogs/pets and there are already so many wonderful pets in shelters that need homes.
That said, if I'd had a ton of money to burn at that time I probably would have done it.
I'm very sorry for your loss. They become such a part of our hearts. Memories can be the only real consolation we have when we lose a loved one, and with any luck, hopefully we made good ones.
 

Serin

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Cloning doesn't bring back the animal, there are many more that need homes which will be just as rewarding.
With pied animals, like cats with white spots, clones won't even have the same markings because even with identical genes the expression of these mutations are so dependent on quite random factors in embryonic development.
 

Hankmacaw

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Cloning Hank (who I would give anything to still have) would not give the clone the experience of having been wild, of living isolated in a cage with owners that were terrified of him for six years, for 12 years of being a display bird at the Tropicana and being horribly abused for ten of those years, for two years of kindness after Gail Anderson became in charge of the birds at the Trop, for one year in a gutterslut bird store that kept him in a cage with another macaw that was smaller than most of you provide for your cockatiels. A clone might look like Hank, but lots of GWs look like Hank. A clone would be himself with his own life experiences and personality. If I want Hank, I can look at pictures of him and remember everything we had together.

Clones are useful for developing high production, high disease resistant livestock of all kinds.
 

Mizzely

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I don't have a problem with clones in general, but I don't think I could have one of my pets cloned. I've suffered many losses over the years. My two most beloved would probably be my cat Jasmine and my Hahns Macaw Gizmo. While I still love both tabby cats and Hahns, I still haven't even been able to seriously consider another pet from the same coat color or species as them.

Besides, I can't do baby animals anymore :lol: So they would have to be cloned, then someone would have to take care of them for several years before I would want them :lol:
 

EkkieLu

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I don't have a problem with clones in general, but I don't think I could have one of my pets cloned. I've suffered many losses over the years. My two most beloved would probably be my cat Jasmine and my Hahns Macaw Gizmo. While I still love both tabby cats and Hahns, I still haven't even been able to seriously consider another pet from the same coat color or species as them.

Besides, I can't do baby animals anymore :lol: So they would have to be cloned, then someone would have to take care of them for several years before I would want them :lol:
I hear ya Shawna!
 
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