Ashera cat

Ashera cat is the hybrid breed officially created by Lifestyle Pets and sold as one of the most expensive cat breeds. Currently no longer available.

Nature

The main advantage of the Asher breed – apart from its hypoallergenic nature – was supposed to be its character. Extremely human-oriented, but at the same time quite easy for a hybrid breed, which is the result of a cross between domestic purrs and an African serval. However, it turned out that at least some of the cats sold under Asher’s proprietary name simply belonged to the savannah breed.

The temperament of these cats largely depends on which cross-generation generation, and therefore, how much blood the serval has in the cat. These cats are very active, they require a lot of movement, attention, activity and human interest. At the same time, they are very social and have some features commonly recognized as a dog and not cats – they easily learn to walk on a leash, retrieve and other tricks. They are strongly attached to the guardian and are looking forward to his return home.

Ashera cat. Advantages and disadvantages

Ashera – what is he like? Learn its pros and cons!

Disadvantages

• extremely expensive breed – currently it is no longer bred
• not easy to run, requires socialization from the kitten
• has a tendency to escape
• requires an outgoing house with a solid aviary
• can overcome even a very high fence
• may mean terrain
• half wild boar – especially F1, F2 generations
• there are problems with reporting pregnancies and fertility of offspring
• not suitable for young children
• only for an experienced caregiver

Advantages

• hypoallergenic (supposedly)
• unusual wild and exotic appearance
• very inteligent
• learns quickly, e.g. retrieving, walking on a leash
• individual
• strongly associated with the guardian, loyal
• very active, loves fun
• gets along easily with the dog
• easy to care for
• healthy

Ashera cat. Health

It is a healthy and resistant breed. However, because it is a hybrid breed (a cross of two species), breeding is quite difficult. The reason is, among others, the difference in the size of servals and domestic cats. There is often a problem with males’ fertility and the termination of pregnancies by cats and delivery. Litters are very small, and unfortunately, kittens are often born dead.

The F1 generation, i.e. the cross between a domestic cat and a serval, is extremely difficult to obtain. These problems are due to the fact that the pregnancy cycles of these two cats differ (75 days in servals and 65 days in domestic cats), as well as their chromosomes (like most cats, both species have 38 chromosomes, but they differ somewhat structured). As a result of such crosses, cats are often born too early or the litter consists only of dead kittens.

Feeding

They are very mobile and spontaneous animals, which is why they should receive sufficient energy. It is desirable to feed raw meat along with the bone. However, a diet based only on meat can lead to serious deficiencies and excess of minerals. Taurine, calcium and protein are also important elements of the diet. Therefore, do not forget about proper supplementation.

Care

Easy – comb through the coat once a week, just like other shorthair cats.

Ashera cat. History

According to official information, the Asher breed was created by Lifestyle Pets, which later changed its name to Allerca. The name of the breed was taken from the name of the goddess (Asher) from Old Semitic (specifically Ugaritic) mythology. The company officials claimed that Ashera was created from a cross between an African serval, an Asian Bengal cat and a domestic cat, and through selective breeding, it was possible to create cats having a significantly reduced level of Fel d 1 protein, which causes cat allergy. However, no scientific studies or even raw data have been published to support this.

The company itself insured in such a way that even its allergy expert Sheldon Spector argued that these reports should be treated very carefully. On the one hand, according to the company’s claims, 96% success was achieved even for clients with a strong allergy to cats. According to other reports, the company was to refuse to sell cats to customers affected by a really strong cat allergy.

The July 2013 ABC News report (which can be found on the link above) revealed that the cats sold by Lifestyle Pets were not more hypoallergenic than any other cat breed, moreover, DNA tests showed that at least some of them were just kittens savannah breeds bought from breeders of this breed and resold at a much higher price.

The suspicion that the Asher cats were simply a scam aimed at making rich people allergic to cats seems also justified by the fact that the founder of Lifestyle Pets, Simon Brodie, has already had fraud, including counterfeiting accounting in the UK and a conviction in connection with the bankruptcy of one of their companies.

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There is no Asher breed standard, which is why we provide the savannah pattern – Breeds not recognized by FIFe

EMS code: none

• Origin: United States
• Character: inquisitive, friendly, intelligent, outgoing and extremely active.
• Activity: very active, likes high jumps, fast running and playing in the water.
• Size: large
• Weight: depends on the generation, usually 6-12 kg, males much larger than females.
• Back: long, agile and flexible; full chest, small but strong croup It gives the impression of a delicate, light and not very strong cat, but nothing more wrong, because he inherited not only his coat from his wild ancestor, but also a strong and muscular posture.
• Head shape: small, triangular, delicate; clearly defined cheeks, tapering chin forms an inverted triangle.
• Ears: large, set high, rounded at the ends; their bases are close together, they are wide and fleshy. At their back we can see clear meanings called ocelli (it is visible to varying degrees depending on the color generation and intensity).
• Eyes: medium size, almond-like in shape; embedded under slightly protruding eyebrow arches; they have a greenish color; cats with a vivid eye color are more valued than subdued ones that turn gray. Possible blue, brown, golden color. Black spots of “tears” can be seen in the corners of the inner eyes – similar to cheetah and serval.
• Nose: Broad, hooded with low set nostrils.
• Tail: thick with rings on the hair; medium length and tapering towards the end.
• Limbs: long limbs, with elastic movements, hindlegs slightly longer than forelegs; oval paws, small, with elongated toes.
• Coat: medium length, soft and delicate undercoat; thick and stiff ground hair; it is not thick, it adheres strongly to the body.
• Color: black, silver tabby, brown tabby and black with a light gray shade are allowed. It is a cat very similar to its wild ancestor, which is why all its fur is speckled with small spots, appearing in black or brown. Specks are of different sizes, the smallest cover the hair on the head and limbs; from the back of the head to the shoulders are dark stripes. Savannah cat can also exceptionally appear in a uniform black coat and without any spots or spots.
• Resistance/susceptibility to diseases: healthy and resistant cat.
• Lifespan: 15-20 years