Commercial companion animal cloning is available in several countries, creating ethical questions about the welfare of surrogate mothers, cloned animals, and the broader implications for companion animal welfare.
Companion animal cloning raises welfare concerns primarily at the production stage: the surrogate mothers and egg donor animals used in cloning bear significant welfare costs. Multiple surgical procedures, anesthesia, hormone treatment, and the stress of intensive management are required for each cloning attempt. Low success rates mean many animals are used per live cloned birth. The cloned animal itself is typically healthy if the procedure succeeds, but the process is welfare-expensive in ways that are invisible to the client who receives a puppy or kitten. The philosophical questions about whether cloning a companion animal captures the essence of their relationship — it does not; genetics are not personality — are relevant to consumer decisions but separate from the animal welfare analysis of production welfare costs.