We all love our furry – and not so furry – friends. Whether you’ve got a dog, a cat, a gerbil, a fish, or even an iguana, chances are they’re your go to for comfort and companionship, and you wouldn’t be without them.

That’s part of the reason why global pet ownership is so high. And, more importantly, that’s part of the reason why UK pet food brand Meatly have developed and licensed a range of lab-grown meat for their pet food.

As reported by IFLScience, pet food is a significant contributory factor to the climate crisis. Because our pets are largely carnivorous, we feed them meat, with the farming of animals for this meat causing greenhouse gas emissions:

“It’s unclear how much pet food contributes to this burden, although some evidence suggests it could be considerable. One study indicated that dog and cat food produces around 33.56 kg CO2eq/1,000 kcal for wet food and 4.25 kg CO2eq/1,000 kcal for dry pet food. For context, further research implied that pet food emissions in the US are around 25 to 30 percent of emissions associated with US meat consumption.”

With climate scientists urging the world to consume less meat to curb these emissions, it figures that feeding our pets lab-grown meat is one step to take in becoming responsible for our own carbon footprint.

Though it’s a little different to the farming process we’re used to, lab-grown meat is completely safe to consume. The process of creating this meat is explained by IFLScience:

“Their process starts with a small sample of cells taken from a chicken egg, which are then fostered in an incubator that controls variables like temperature and acidity. They also provide the cells with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, allowing them to grow until they become meat.”

Not only is lab-grown meat better for the planet, it is much better for animal welfare too. Instead of pigs, cows, chickens, and other animals being slaughtered for their meat – often after having been raised in unpleasant conditions – cells are cultivated for the purpose of consumption.

This is then turned into high-quality pet food, reducing the need for animal suffering. As Owen Ensor, CEO of Meatly, explains in a statement, this is a win-win both for the welfare of pets, and farm animals:

“Pet parents are crying out for a better way to feed their cats and dogs meat – we’re so excited to meet this demand. We can now continue our mission to give consumers an easy choice – ensuring we can feed our beloved pets the real meat they need and crave, in a way that is kinder to our planet and other animals.”

One thing is for sure: this groundbreaking UK project could be set to change the pet food game forever.

And that’s definitely something to get your tail wagging.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.