The Ashera is a brand new cat breed produced by Lifestyle Pets out of Willmington, Delaware. The Ashera carries a hefty price tag of $22,000 and comes with a 9-12 month waiting period before you get your hands on this high priced pussy, or you can opt for a premium placement to get your cat quicker by paying an extra $6,000.
Lifestyle Pets claims the Ashera is a hybrid of the African Serval, Asian Leopard Cat, and a domestic cat. The business of mixing cat breeds is not new and in the past several years resulted in successful breeds like the Savannah, which is a hybrid of the African Serval and a Domestic Cat (usually a Bengal). These cats are not small like your typical house cat. The Ashera, like the popular Savannah commonly reach 30 pounds, and are tall and muscular like their Serval ancestery. It is not uncommon for them to jump 7 or 8 feet in the air. But regardless of their size and exotic look, they can make amazing pets if raised inside your home as a kitten.
One of the main advantages to owning an Ashera is the fact that there is no permit required to own one, unlike trying to keep an African Serval cat. But for $22,000? That just seems way too high. Even the Savannah cat is expensive and ranges from $1500 to $7500 depending on the percentage of African Serval in their bloodline. The higher the percentage (F1) the more expensive, but an F1 contains almost twice the amount of Serval DNA as an F2. You can also obtain a pure Serval kitten for between $2,000 to $3,000 depending on where you go to get one. But….. You must acquire proper permitting from your state. Here in Florida, you are required to have 100 hours working with exotic cats and pass a state test.
In time, the Ashera will undoubtedly come down in price, but Hollywood types and hardcore cat fanciers might just want to have one of these cool looking cats no matter what the cost is. I have personally been looking into getting a Serval and can tell you that if you in the market for something exotic and different, but want something that can roam around your house without fear of eating you, one of these cats might be for you. The Savannah, Serval and appearantly the Ashera all love water and like to be walked on a leash like a dog! Imagine your neighbor’s faces when they see you walking a 30-pound cat around.
