The Ashera Cat-A $22,000 House Pet
The Ashera and It's Claim
There are a few companies offering the new and supposedly most exotic pet on the market. It is called the Ashera and this wild cat/domestic cat hybrid is selling for $22,000.
Supposedly this cat is the cross of an African Serval, an Asian Leopard Cat, and a domestic cat. The offspring is a very wild looking breed with beautiful colors, large visable spots or rosettes, and an overall very wild look. It's personality is supposed to be like a loving domestic cat and a loving domestic dog all rolled up into one thirty pound package.
It sounds like a great package, and at $22,000 it might just be only a few who get to find out just how wonderful it is.
Disputes
Of course there has come about some questioning of the reality of this "new" breed. Many Savannah cat breeders (a cross between a domestic cat and an African Serval) say that this cat is no more then a first generation (F1) Savannah cat. F1 Savannah cats are still one of the rarest breeds of cats out there, however you can find them in many locations, from many breeders for about $8,000 to 10,000 each.
F1 Savannah's are a lovely wild looking cat of impressive size. Usually about 25 pounds with some getting to be as much as 40 pounds. They have lovely coats, a wild look, and can sometimes be seen walking on a leash with their masters. They look very much like a minature leopard or other big cat. Many find their stunning personalities to be worth the $10,000 they pay for them.
A Quick Talk About Genetics
Bengal Cats-Bengal cats are created by breeding an Asian Leopard Cat (not the same thing as a leopard) with a domestic cat. After four generations both the males and females are fertile and the offspring are considered domestic animals. However, if they are bred with other exotic looking cats such as the Egyptian Mau then they have a wild look about them.
Savannah Cats-As stated earlier, Savannah cats are created by breeding an African Serval with a domestic cat. Usually this domestic cat is one with wild looks already and the resulting offspring is a huge and lovely cat.
Savannah Cats and Bengal Cats-Many Savannah cats are created by breeding a Bengal cat and a Savannah cat. This would mean that the resulting offspring would have mostly African Serval and domestic cat blood, but in the ancestry there would also be Asian Leopard Cat blood. Using this idea a Savannah cat with a bengal mother woudld then fit the qualifications of the $22,000 Ashera Cat.
It would seem that a great deal of evidence points to Savannah cats as being the true Ashera cats. With this in mind it would be best to buy directly from a breeder and optain a $10,000 version instead of a $22,000 version. It also seems like someone needs to say, "Shame on you!" to the few companies fooling people into paying more for their lovely exotic cat then what they would normally have to pay.
If you want to spend a lot of money on a beautiful exotic cat for your next pet, pick the Savannah and skip the Ashera!
Comments
- AUTHOR
@Whitney05. I didn't think of that, but it does seem like they would need a pretty good size. Kinda funny to imagine it squatting over a little litter box.
These cats are all so beautiful. But I was wondering, if the cat weighs 40lbs. how big must the litterbox be?
It looks like a cat wearing pajamas. Interesting hub, and a little to pricey for me! Thanks for info.
they are iamazing:!!!!!!!!!
"Many Savannah cat breeders (a cross between a domestic cat and an African Serval) say that this cat is no more then a first generation (F1) Savannah cat. "
A savannah breeder who has a long article on ashera-savannah subject says it's an F2 rather than an F1. F2s sell for $2500-5000. F1s were the cats confiscated at an airport and DNA tested, these were sold by LifestylePets for upwards of 100K.
Given that an F1 is a fairly wild cat, I am a bit concerned that people who bought these cats believe Brodie claims on how these are fairly domestic and are ill-prepared to take care of them.
@kswatcher - F1-F4 males are sterile in hybrids, so you cannot cross-breed an F1 bengal with F1 savannah; you can only breed an F5 to an F1.
- AUTHOR
kswatcher- It would be true that you would be talking about a fairly wild cat with an F1 Bengal and an African Serval. The problem here is that there are no genetics presented and some Savannah breeders have had there F1 and F2 Savannah cats purchased and then resold or later labeled "Ashera" cats.
If the mother was an F1 (first generation) Bengal, it would definitely not be the same as an F1 Savannah cat created with an African Serval and a domestic Bengal.
Great Hub! These really are beautiful cats! As a cat lover, you might be interested in what's going on in China. They are rounding up all their cats and sending them to death camps so they won't have strays wandering around during the Beijing Olympics. Check out my hub. https://hubpages.com/misc/China-Horror---Death-Cam...
- AUTHOR
Nope, I haven't come across that yet, however it is pretty cool. I wonder what breeds she is using to come up with it!
Have you seen the tiger cat? THe daughter of the woman who created the Bengal, is working on making a housecat that is identical to the tiger. She's almost there. The cat has the same facial structure, stripes, ears, etc.
10