> I expect it's equally likely a way to reset the X-linked-inactivation within a single cell will be discovered, so while the coloring of the clone won't be a p

> I expect it's equally likely a way to reset the X-linked-inactivation within a single cell will be discovered, so while the coloring of the clone won't be a perfect copy, it will be a product of roughly the same random process as the template cat. That's not the point of cloning, though. Scientists expect an exact replica - without that, what's the point? I can find you another tortoise shell cat that looks almost exactly the same in the real world, sans an expensive procedure. What you'd want is an exact copy of your beloved cat. I think what the article hinting at, but not saying, is that if something as simple as a hair pattern can't be copied then other more complicated systems, for example the brain, certainly have similar inconsistencies that arise during the cloning process.