Worlds Most Expensive Domestic Cat

At $127,000, The Royal Ashera is the worlds most expensive domestic cat. A lot of us (and most if not all in the cat fancy) have heard about Allerca cats. Amongst that stable of cats is the Ckakan, the original Allerca and the best known of all the Ashera. These three cats come as ordinary models (I can't help writing about them as if they were cars) or in hypoallergenic form (no allergens on the cat which cause us to be allergic to them). You takes your pick and makes your choice, so the saying goes.

Of these three the most expensive is the Ashera GD (the hypoallergenic version). Some say that the Ashera is just a Savannah cat, a pretty well known breed of purebred cat that is wildcat (Serval x domestic cat) hybrid. They look very similar and there is certainly a connection between the Savannah and Ashera but the claimed breeding is slightly different. See more on:

• the Savannah cat
• the Allerca cats
  

There are a group of Ashera GDs. They come in different colors (more car talk). This is were things get expensive. I did not get the following figures from the Life Style Pets Inc. so you might have to check 'em but here are some current prices as at the date of this post:

• Standard Model Ashera (this is the non-hypoallergenic version, which looks very similar to the Savannah F2, second generation from the wildcat ancestor) - price $22,000
• Hypoallergenic Ashera (the Ashera GD so called) - price $37,000
• Snow Ashera. This is a reference to the lighter background color. Bengal cats, another wildcat hybrid, for example, can be purchased as a snow or alternatively a silver - price $65,000
  
• Royal Ashera. This cat is hypoallergenic (claimed), has a cream background and tiger orange spots and strips (the patterns are in orange) - price $127,000

The Royal Ashera, in my estimation the worlds most expensive domestic cat, is only available, apparently, to existing clients and about four are produced each year. About 50 Asheras are sold each year. As a newsreader in the USA said, this cat looks like a leopard, purrs like a kitten and with a price that roars like a lion! Nice one.

The one thing I have trouble with in relation to this cat and this business is that it all sounds like we are buying and selling cars. Maybe that was the intention. I know that at a fundamental level it is little different to "ordinary" cat breeding and the selling of cats but there seems to be a corporate nature about this cat, which makes it a product rather than a living creature. You would expect to see the cat in a showroom on the high street with a couple of pushy salesmen.



Worlds Most Expensive Domestic Cat to Cat Facts

Ashera Cat Constroversy

The Ashera cat controversy rumbles on. A lot of people say that the very expensive Ashera GD (the claimed hypoallergenic version of the Ashera) is simply a high fillial (F1 or F2) Savannah cat. The F1 is a cat one removed from the wild cat ancestor, Serval cat. No one has yet, it seems to me conclusively pinned down the claim that the Ashera GD is a misdescribed Savannah.

And no one has yet conclusively pinned down the claim by skeptics that the Ashera is not hypoallergenic. Are they allergy free cats? Lets not forget that Life Style Pets Inc. claim that the Ashera GD is hypoallergenic, which would make it the only cat of its kind, other than the other claimed hypoallergenic Life Style Pets cats.

The Ashera GD costs about $22,000. But please note that he very special Savannah cat from A1 Supremes - the ultimate hybrid domestic felines, cost a similar figure. These are difficult cats to breed and rare and special and the market it there at that price.

The cost shouldn't be the discussion point. I just want to see if the Ashera GD, Allerca GD and Chakan GD are really allergen free cats. Lets see some science on this. Surely someone can produce a scientific paper that tells us that the cat dander allergen, Fel d1 that causes the allergy to cats is missing or not in these cats? -see Allergen free cat.

Here is a video on the Ashera and it is claimed that these cats come from a Savannah cat breeder, perhaps Cutting Edge Cats. I have no idea. Can someone tell me?




From Ashera Cat Controversy to Ashera cat

Ashera GD

Ashera GD copyright LifeStyle Pets Inc. reproduced here with their express permission.

The Ashera GD is a scam so say Savannah Cat breeders. This is what they say is happening:-

LifeStyle Pets Inc who sell the Ashera GD and the Allerca and Chakan are presenting themselves as individuals who want to buy a Savannah Cat from a Savannah Cat breeder.

Of course the breeder is pleased to sell. The "buyer" (presumably a LifeStyle Pets employee) then rebrands the the cat an Ashera or an Ashera GD (this cat can be bought as hypoallergenic or not - the GD is the hypoallergenic cat) and sells the cat at a price far higher than the price paid as a Savannah Cat. Savannah cats can sell for about $3,000 while the Ashera sells for over $20,000.

I don't know if this is true. It should be provable through DNA testing and this is apparently happening with the Ashera/Savannah cat held at Schipol airport. Read about that here.

However, Life Style Pets do provide the following with their cats, neutering/spaying, vaccinations, microchip and DNA fingerprint and certificate. They don't though say what the breeding programme is.

From Ashera GD to Ashera GD

Ashera GD

Ashera GD copyright Life Style Pets

The Ashera GD is in the Dutch News. On 22nd Jan they reported that a "giant cat" was being held at Schipol airport while customs carried out checks. They may have mistaken the cat for a wild cat as the Ashera GD is a very large domestic cat resembling an F1 or F2 Savannah. The Savannah is a cross between the Serval (a wild cat) and a domestic cat (including the Bengal cat).

The Ashera GD is a very impressive cat and said to be hypoallergenic. Life Style Pets are the business who breed the cat. She may be a cross between the Serval as above, the Asian Leopard Cat and a domestic cat. Otherwise she is a cross between the Serval and a domestic cat such as the Bengal (in other words a Savannah with another name). If that was the case she'd be a first generation cat from that mating. This sounds vague but the truth is LifeStyle Pets don't fully disclose their breeding programme unlike normal catteries that breed registered cats in which case you have the full pedigree. This is something against the Ashera.

The Asian Leopard Cat is the foundation wild cat of the Bengal cat.

There is a page on the main website where I discuss the Life Style Pets cats of which there are essentially three "breeds", the Allerca GD (domestic shorthair), the Chakan GD (Siamese type) and the Ashera GD (exotic/wild/domestic type). The Ashera comes in non GD (Genetic Divergences) as well. "GD" signifies that the cat is hypoallergenic.

The cat that they held is called Shin Chan and had been bought by a couple from Eindhoven.

They had better have plenty of space and plenty of time as this cat is very active. They obviously have plenty of money as the Ashera GD costs over $20,000 but there are plenty of extras including a guarantee, as I remember, in respect of the hypoallergenic qualities of this highly impressive cat.

Photo of Ashera GD © LIFESTYLE PETS Inc. and reproduced with their express permission.

From Ashera GD to Savannah Cats