Chinese pet cloning industry charges up to US$52,000, raises ethical and health concerns

Losing a beloved pet in China is increasingly becoming not the end of a beautiful friendship, but the start of something almost as good, thanks to the growing use of animal cloning services.

One such pet lover, Liu Xing, a designer from Beijing, adopted a street cat she called Tomcat more than a decade ago, the Science and Technology Daily reported.

For 15 years, Tomcat was her loyal companion, moving from Shenzhen to Beijing with her.

As the cat aged and faced health issues, Liu spent nearly 100,000 yuan (US$14,000) on his medical bills.

When Tomcat’s condition worsened, Liu turned to pet cloning services online.