Asher's cat - a scandalous scam in the history of felinology. Grandiose PR, high positions in the ranking of the most expensive cats in the world, and at the same time the absence of an officially recognized breed standard.
Of course, the beautiful exotic creature with the name Asher would be worthy of all praise if it were not for the Savannah being so similar to another well-known expensive breed. However, they pay a lot of money for such a beautiful pussy, so it’s worth figuring out why the price for a cat is so high, and who is behind the sale of notorious cats.
Origin story
This great hoax began in 2006, when the biotechnology company Lifestyle Pets made a loud announcement to the whole world about the development of a new cat breed: the beautiful and amazing Asher breed. It was initially positioned as a miracle of biotechnology: a hypoallergenic breed bred using the genes of an African serval and an Asian Bengal and an ordinary domestic cat. This cat was immediately elevated to the rank of the most prestigious, setting an appropriate price for it - from 25 thousand dollars and above.
The advertising did its job: the cat became mega-popular even despite its high cost. The buyer had to pay a considerable advance, sign up for a waiting list, and wait several months for his turn.
The main condition of sale was sterilization: the producers stated that they would not allow the appearance of mixed breeds and the deterioration of the hard-bred breed.
The name of the breed was given in honor of the Phoenician goddess of fertility and love, Ashera, and the service for these cats was special: the owners received lifelong veterinary insurance, the opportunity to be observed and treated by the best veterinarians for 10 years and many other pleasant bonuses.
However, after some time, something unpleasant became clear: as it turned out, the rare Ashers are nothing more than the already known Savannah cats. The author of this breed, Chris Shirk (from the Cutting Edge Savannahs organization), publicly accused the sellers of lying, obtained an independent genetic examination, which showed that all this hype with the new breed is a major scam and deception. Simon Brody, the organizer of the project, was subjected to shame and general discussion, his project collapsed with a huge scandal, but the history of the Ashera has not yet been completed.
The Asher breed does not officially exist. Asherah is the same savannah, given a new name by unscrupulous businessmen. Remember this so you don't get confused.
The most expensive cat in the world is Asher
One day, handsome one-year-old cats appeared on the market for expensive cat breeds, and the females turned out to be sterilized, and the males were neutered.
The prices for the most expensive Asher cats can be called exorbitant and even fantastic, which does not bother the Lifestyle company, which is engaged in breeding the rare breed. Every year no more than one hundred individuals are offered for sale, for which people line up in advance. The price starts at $20,000 and depends on gender and even the purpose of purchase. Translated into Russian rubles, it turns out that you can buy a beauty for 1,500,000 for maintenance, and if you order an Asher cat for breeding, the price will be much higher.
The cats have been on sale for over ten years, but the reputation of the founder of the breed has remained tarnished, which has not in any way reduced the value of the rare animal.
Standards
These cats are giants of their furry and purring cat world. The body length of the Savannah reaches a meter, the height at the withers is 55-60 cm, and the weight is 14-16 kg. Males are visually larger than females. This is an unusually graceful, agile and beautifully built breed. For this we need to say “thank you” to the enthusiastic breeders who spent many years on their work and invested their whole souls in it. Just imagine: from the start of work to the official recognition of the breed, no less than 30 years have passed!
| Standard | Description |
| Scull | Small in size, wedge-shaped. |
| Neck | Long, flexible. |
| Ears | Set wide apart, their tips pointed. Abundantly pubescent along the edge. |
| Eyes | Large, outlined in dark, the iris can be painted golden or bright green. |
| Torso | Muscular, strong. Wide chest. |
| Limbs | Long, graceful, the hind legs are longer than the front ones. The paws are oval, the toes are long (or medium length), tenacious. |
| Tail | Thick, slightly tapering towards the tip. |
| Wool | The coat is elastic and short, with a dense soft undercoat. |
Application
The Ashera cat breed was intended for wealthy owners with appropriate living conditions. She is not just a pet - such a pet always once again reminds guests of the financial situation of its owner.
A mini-copy of a cheetah becomes an exclusive decoration for a luxury home and a large metropolitan apartment. In terms of exoticism, only the caracal, domestic ocelot or fennec .
The Asher cat will walk imposingly on a leash and willingly show off its magnificence to everyone around it.
But representatives of this breed of cats are purchased not only to emphasize their status. Ashera becomes a loyal friend who is always there.
She is affectionate and gentle, loves to sit in her arms for a long time, looking tenderly into her owner's eyes.
Many fans of this predator were frightened not by its wild appearance, but by its high price - the Life Style Pets company indicated the cost of this hybrid, which ranged from 22 thousand to 25 thousand $.
For this reason, the hopes of many potential owners to acquire a unique animal were dashed in an instant.
After all, the cat, depicted in all its glory in numerous photos posted on the company’s website, became almost golden, because for such a price you could buy a completely decent car.
Color
In color, the cat should repeat or be similar to the serval - its ancestor. The base color of the serval is golden (bright oil) with round dark spots scattered here and there. This shade of brown spotted tabby is registered under the same name. Allowed colors: smoky, silver, black, brown.
An inhibitor gene sometimes suppresses the gene responsible for the yellow pigment. Due to this, the golden tint on the cats’ skin is washed out, turning into a brownish color.
In the photo there is a cat of the Asher breed of popular colors: smoky and golden
There are several officially recognized colors: chocolate, cinnamon, lilac, fawn, blue.
How to choose an Asher kitten
Taking into account the fact that by now the Asher breed has been exposed as fictitious, the choice should be made on nurseries for savannahs. However, resourceful entrepreneurs still often benefit from the public’s lack of awareness about these cat scams.
When choosing an Asher kitten, you need to pay attention to the absence of aggression on the part of the animal
Therefore, prices for Asher kittens sometimes vary quite significantly. On some sites on the Internet you can find individuals worth 2–3 million rubles. Such fabulous sums are not too different from the true cost of spotted purrs, because Savannahs (which are what Ashers actually are) are the most expensive cats in the world. Today, a kitten of the fourth or fifth generation of hybrids can be found for 150 thousand rubles, and individuals of the first and second generation are sold for 500–800 thousand rubles. This pricing policy is explained by the rarity of the breed, because there are about 1,500 Savannah cats (and Asheras are their siblings) in the world.
When visiting a nursery to select a kitten, you must require a written purchase agreement and provide a veterinary passport of the animal you like. It will also be necessary to find out information about the ancestors of the purr.
While watching the cats frolicking in the nursery, the future owner of an Asher should pay attention to the following nuances:
- the area where animals live should be clean and spacious;
- the kittens are moderately well-fed and do not suffer from bowel disorders (as may be indicated by a swollen tummy);
- fluffies look well-groomed, have clean eyes and ears;
- Young Ashers have a playful and friendly mood, no fear or aggression, no desire to bite.
You need to keep in mind that the baby can only be reserved in advance, and the cat will be sold only when the asher is one year old.
You also need to take care of whether to choose a cat or a female cat in advance. Males of the breed are more assertive and, at the same time, less active. And females are distinguished by a gentle and obedient disposition against the backdrop of constant activity and passion for hunting.
Character and behavior
This cat, of course, is very friendly to humans, but the owner will have to educate her from a very early age. This proud and strong animal is not a creature that will walk on its own all day and then greet its owner in the evening with manifestations of love and tenderness. Loneliness for Asher is simply destructive. And there are several reasons for this. Firstly, when your cat gets bored, it will literally begin to “destroy” your apartment. Even play complexes and bright toys will not help. And secondly, without a person, a cat runs wild, and finding a common language with it in the future will be much more difficult.
Ashers are very playful and active: Both kids, teenagers, and young adults love to spend time actively: running, jumping, climbing, hunting, tumbling.
Curiosity is one of their distinguishing characteristics. Not a single corner of the home or garden will remain unexplored: ushers systematically explore all the places that interest them. And after running around and sticking his nose everywhere possible (and also impossible), the Ashera will fall asleep, which he also loves very much.
In terms of its habits, the Ashera is similar to a dog. First of all, by the fact that the main thing for himself makes a person teaching, educating, training - i.e. a person who knows how to show his strength.
This cat needs a lot of personal space to play, so a small apartment or a house filled with furniture is not living for her, but torture. Without physical activity and exercise, the Ashera will wither, become nervous and snap at others, so we do not recommend owners of small houses to have this breed.
Ashera rarely meows, but is ready to hiss like a snake in case of danger.
Expert opinion
Dusheba Vera Ivanovna
In 2010, she graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine named after K.I. Scriabin with honors, specializing in veterinary medicine. I regularly attend veterinary conferences, congresses, and webinars.
Cats should not be hit, even if they do something inappropriate. Your weapons are words and deprivation of communication. In the first case: scold your pet, looking into his eyes, if he behaves like a hooligan, and as soon as he stops, change your tone to a benevolent one and praise him. If simply reprimanding has no effect: try locking the cat in a room alone for a while. In extreme cases, you can use a spray bottle of water.
You need to prepare in advance for the arrival of a kitten in the house. Install strong screens on windows. Mosquitoes are not suitable even for small breeds, because they are easy to give out when jumping, let alone a heavy Asher. Hide or raise electrical wires to an unattainable height: kittens love to chew on them. And electric shock often leads to death.
How did the cat move in K.I. Chukovsky’s famous poem “The Cockroach”?
jump backwards
Hide medicines and household chemicals, remove fragile objects, glass and crystal vases and the like: if they fall, they can seriously cut the animal (and ushers love to throw down everything that is on the shelves). Make sure that there are no scraps of plastic bags, threads, or needles lying around anywhere. Plants that are poisonous to animals - ivy, schefflera, azalea, dieffenbachia - are best removed from the house altogether. cats love to gnaw flowers, and indiscriminately.
Set up an eating area with a water bowl and a food bowl (or drinking fountain). Be sure to install several scratching posts in different rooms so that the animal can always sharpen its claws. It is better to choose a hidden bed, in the form of a cozy house: since growing kittens like to sleep a lot, the place to sleep should be comfortable and away from noisy household appliances.
Choose a kitten that is non-aggressive and will approach the outstretched hands of a person without fear. You should be wary of the following factors: timidity, aggression, cloudy eyes, bloated belly, dirty butt and ears, unpleasant odor from the mouth.
Breeding work
Breeding savannas is a very difficult process, and should only be done by experienced specialists. The fact is that for any hybrid breed there are important breeding rules.
The offspring obtained in the first generation from crossing a wild serval and a domestic cat are labeled as F1; they are the most valuable and of the highest quality.
The addition of wild Serval blood is necessary to stabilize the hybrid breed
The next generation is designated F2 and so on. The higher the digital indicator, the less wild blood remains in the kittens and the more they resemble domestic kittens. By the eighth generation, the breed has already completely degenerated.
Breeding
A breeder working with a hybrid breed must constantly maintain the high quality of the offspring by infusing them with fresh blood. Moreover, male hybrids are almost always infertile during the first four generations.
The following breeds are considered as options for crossing with a wild serval, in addition to the Bengal:
- Egyptian Mau;
- ocicat;
- Siamese;
- shorthair oriental cat.
But breeders consider mating Savannahs of the first and second generations with Servals or Savannahs with Savannahs to be more preferable for consolidating the breed qualities.
Obtaining high-quality offspring is the main task of breeders
Such combinations make it possible not only to significantly improve the phenotype of the resulting offspring, but also to consolidate breed qualities at the genetic level. Regular addition of fresh blood, in turn, has a positive effect on the health of future generations, develops the breed and expands its gene pool.
In general, savanna breeding is very difficult. Males of wild serval can be very picky in choosing a partner from among domestic cats, and not every planned mating ends successfully. In addition, hybrid kittens are often born premature and require additional intensive nursing. There are also cases of unpredictable deaths of entire litters.
A stable psyche and calm disposition of the savannah are important criteria for its breeding
All these circumstances keep the price of representatives of the breed high and once again confirm that Savannah breeding should not be done by casual amateurs, but by experienced specialists.
Video: Savannah cat - wild or domestic
Castration and sterilization
Most often, sterilization of an animal is a condition for its sale - this is not determined by the whim of the breeder, but by one of the aspects of systemic breeding. Most grown-up kittens are offered after surgery and are much cheaper than unsterilized kittens. In addition, it must be taken into account that representatives of this breed are extremely dominant, and timely sterilization can significantly soften their character and save the owner from unpredictable manifestations of the “wild” genetics of their pet.
Timely sterilization will help cope with the increased aggressiveness of individual individuals.
Care instructions
Caring for an Asherah has its own challenges. With fur, everything is easy: these cats practically do not shed, and there is no need to buy a whole arsenal of combs, brushes and slickers. Their eyes don't run either. But it usually takes a long time to deal with ears and teeth, because ashers don’t like to clean either one or the other.
It is necessary to accustom your pet to hygiene procedures from early childhood. then there will be many fewer problems in adulthood. The ears are cleaned once every 2 weeks, wiping off the wax with a damp cotton swab, and the teeth are cleaned once a month using a special cat paste and brush. Once a year, your cat should be taken to the veterinarian for an examination and laser teeth cleaning.
Ushers love to bathe, but you shouldn’t put them in the shower more than once every 3-4 months: irritation may occur on the skin.
Maintenance and care
When purchasing a kitten, you must additionally purchase a mandatory additional package, including care products. The cat is unpretentious in keeping (except for food).
Ashera's coat is short, without undercoat. It is enough to comb the fur once a week. You should bathe your cat as needed. She regularly grooms her hair on her own.
Purchase a scratching post at the pet store in advance. Like other representatives of the cat family, Ashera loves to sharpen her claws, including to lift her spirits. If you notice damage to furniture in a certain place, immediately reprimand the cat and treat the area with a special spray containing citrus essential oils.
The pet should not be kept in a cramped enclosed space all the time. Allow him to go outside. If you live in an apartment and not a private house, periodically go for a walk with your cat.
The domestic leopard is large in size. A standard size tray will not fit. If you don’t find a suitable toilet in the pet store, buy a wide basin with high sides in the hardware department of the supermarket. Any filler for the tray is suitable, except for sawdust - they weakly retain an unpleasant odor.
Catering
Wild origin also leaves its mark on the digestive system of these animals. Grain products are excluded from the menu, as are fatty fish, fatty meat, and dairy products. In their natural habitat, the ancestors of the Asher (savannah) ate small animals and birds, vegetables and fruits. You need to create the same menu at home.
Natural products
Allowed:
- Meat: veal, beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, horse meat.
- By-products: kidneys, liver, hearts, ventricles, udder.
- Lean fish: tuna, salmon, flounder. By-products are allowed: squid, shrimp.
- Boiled chicken eggs (yolk) and boiled quail eggs.
- Sprouts of sprouted grains.
- Fruits and vegetables (except: avocados, grapes, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, eggplants).
- Vitamin and mineral supplements.
- Dry yeast.
- Means for removing fur from the stomach.
You should not give milk, fatty, sweet, smoked and salty foods, dog food, or human canned food.
If the breeders fed the kitten with ready-made food, the transition should be smooth. Feed your pet the old food for one or two weeks, introducing new food, and then switch to a completely different diet. We recommend reading the article: What to feed a kitten?
Recommended food
Below are the recommended holistic class foods. Links with the names of the food are clickable; on them you can, within our website, read the descriptions of the food and read reviews from the owners of the Asher breed.
| Holistic | Holistic | Holistic |
| Alleva Holistic | Wildcat | Acana |
Ashers (Savannahs) are very squeamish and will never eat from dirty dishes. Select bowls from a safe material that is convenient to wash frequently: metal, porcelain, ceramics, thick glass. The diameter for an adult is 12-14 cm, for a kitten - from 10 cm. The water bowl should be deeper: animals compare it to a pond, and the deeper the reservoir, according to their understanding, the fresher the water there.
Features of feeding
You shouldn’t save money to buy an expensive pet for the simple reason that once it appears, you’ll have to fork out the cash again. Since the digestive organs are the weak point of the cat’s body, it is recommended to visit a veterinarian to create a balanced diet.
It is advisable to choose a natural type of food. The basis of the diet of a domestic leopard is raw meat with a low fat content:
- Beef;
- Veal;
- Chicken;
- Turkey.
You should not feed your pet pork - its meat is too fatty and difficult to digest. To ensure that the cat’s body receives additional vitamins, it is recommended to mix raw yolk, cereals (rice, pearl barley), and vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, zucchini) into the food. Give your pet offal. They contain the amino acid taurine, which is essential for vision.
Once a week, offer raw sea fish or boiled river fish.
Freeze meat and fish products first to prevent your cat from becoming infected with parasites!
Please note that Ashera is one of the breeds that are prohibited from giving fermented milk products (kefir, fermented baked milk, sour cream) and cheese. Veterinarians do not recommend feeding them dry food. This leads to the development of urolithiasis. If you have already decided to take a desperate step due to your busy schedule, then buy exclusively super-premium food brands.
Ashera should be fed 3-4 times a day in small portions, which the cat can handle in one sitting. Change your drinking water regularly.
Diseases
Savannah, unlike many artificially bred breeds, does not have any genetic abnormalities. This, of course, is a huge “plus” (thanks to the blood of wild servals). And they live a long time: 17-20 years. But there are a number of nuances.
These cats often have an upset stomach due to improper nutrition. Cereal porridges should not be included in their diet: they are useless and cause constipation and flatulence.
Some individuals have heart problems, namely hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickening of the heart ventricle). Primary is caused by a predisposition at the gene level, secondary - by diseases (infections, disruption of the endocrine system) and age-related changes. The disease cannot be cured, but supportive therapy and constant monitoring of the condition help maintain the cat’s standard of living at a decent level.
Cats of this breed take a very long time to “grow up” for felines – as much as 3 years.
Vaccination is mandatory for Asher. They, like other cats, are susceptible to various kinds of infectious diseases, and pathogens can easily be brought into the house on clothes, shoes, and even children’s toys. So don't take any chances.
Description of the breed
So, we say “savannah”, but we mean “asherah”, or vice versa, it doesn’t matter. But in order to avoid confusion and hoaxes in the future, we will still honestly call the unique cat by its real name - Savannah, and this will be correct.
The breed qualities of the Savannah cat are clearly regulated by the standard
The creation of this breed was by no means a “miraculous” adventure, but the result of many years of systematic and persistent work by enthusiastic breeders, which in itself deserves great respect.
The path from idea to recognition of the Savannah took more than thirty years - the breed received its first official standard only in 2001.
Appearance
Savannah is a true giant of the cat world. The dimensions of this pussy are impressive: the weight of the animal can reach 16 kilograms, the height at the withers is 60 centimeters, and the body length is one meter.
The cat is incredibly elegant, harmonious and graceful; you can admire its movements endlessly. Body proportions are elongated and elongated. The small, triangular head is decorated with high ears and large expressive eyes of emerald or golden shades. The elegant, slender body and long neck are well muscled, the paws are high, slender, and the hind legs are significantly longer than the front ones.
The face of a Savannah cat is very expressive.
The “leopard” coloring of the savannah gives the cat a special wild color and expressiveness. The coat is thick, close to the body and at the same time soft and silky, hypoallergenic. The standard officially recognizes several breed colors:
- chocolate;
- golden;
- silver;
- brown;
- cinnamon tabby.
One Savannah litter can have kittens of different colors
Video: Savannah is the world's largest cat
Character and behavior
Despite the fact that the Savannah is initially friendly and flexible, the owner will have to spend a lot of time on properly raising his pet. It is very important that this strong and proud animal is able to fully accept the rules and routine of living in a human home and find a common language with all its inhabitants.
The Savannah cat has a serious, albeit easy-going character.
Cats of this breed do not want to become adults for a very long time - they are active and playful, like kittens. Periods of increased activity alternate with rest - after playing enough, the Savannah likes to sleep longer. She is a researcher by nature, loves to learn new things, is very smart and inquisitive, and does not like to be bored or left alone. The way to her heart is through games and communication.
An animal chooses its main owner not to be the one who feeds, but the one who educates and trains - much the same thing happens with dogs.
Savannah adores her owner
This cat's personal space should be spacious and full of entertainment - provide it with a large variety of toys, constantly updating them. Be sure to walk the animal on a comfortable harness - regular exercise is necessary in order to maintain the good physical condition of the animal. The undoubted advantage of the breed is its love of water - the Savannah loves to swim and is an excellent swimmer, which is also very useful for it.
Regular exercise is vital for the savanna
From its wild ancestors, this cat inherited an extensive exclusive inheritance, for example, a unique range of sounds that it is capable of making: from snake hisses and bird chirps to animal howls and roars. However, the savannah also knows how to meow and purr loudly. Do not forget that any real savannah has a lot of blood of a predatory animal - a serval, and this genetics can make itself felt at any moment. Therefore, raising a cat needs to be done seriously and constantly.
Video: Savannah plays
Advantages and disadvantages
- Smart.
- They learn quickly.
- They get along well with other animals and get along with children.
- Friendly.
- They hardly shed.
- They have strong immunity and rarely get sick.
- They love walking and swimming.
- Difficulties with breeding.
- If there were problems in breeding, big health problems will arise.
- They cannot stand loneliness.
- Requires long walks and physical activity.
- Without strict upbringing they can become uncontrollable.
- They are expensive.
Mating
Before giving the Asher kitten to its new owner, it was sterilized - this was a mandatory condition. For this reason, breeding a pet at home was excluded. There are several explanations for this:
- a breeding secret that the breeders kept in the strictest confidence - mass breeding could lead to loss of income for Life Style Pets;
- as a result of splitting, the character of the animal could change, which is very dangerous, since the cat is quite large and strong, and this can bring tragic consequences for the owner and his family members.
But soon the scam was revealed. And today no one will buy an Asherah cat from the “official” manufacturer, since everyone knows that this breed is called the Savannah. The F1-F2 class savannah itself can cost up to $20,000.
Asherah: The largest and “wildest” domestic cat
Ashera is a cat with a wild appearance, natural charm, grace and elegance. Breeders claim that all this splendor is complemented by an easy-going nature and ease of care.
Photo gallery
Below are photos of Ashera cats.
Buying kittens
Cats begin to be sold when they reach 12 months of age, having been previously sterilized. The number of people wishing to purchase a rare animal far exceeds the supply; often the queue has to wait more than six months. Asher cats of royal color can be sold several times more expensive than those with standard spots, reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.
People who want to purchase an Asher kitten first make a deposit of 5-6 thousand dollars and wait another 9-10 months. Only when approaching the annual milestone do furry pets fully exhibit the properties of the breed. Asher kittens in the early stages can resemble ordinary pets.
Health
On the one hand, the Asher cat breed is artificially created, which could negatively affect the pet’s predisposition to various diseases.
However, the ancestor of the breed is a wild cat - the African serval, whose genes turned out to be stronger. The serval's immunity was formed naturally, during evolution, which made it strong and resilient. And this is precisely what was passed on to the new breed.
Savannahs are famous for their longevity in the cat world. Capable of living for twenty years. Of course, with the proper level of care from the breeder.
But, nevertheless, there are a number of diseases that occur in representatives of the breed. Among the birth defects noted: cleft palate, hydrocephalus, polydactyly and dwarfism. There are individuals with enlarged heart muscle. They are susceptible to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Sudden cardiac arrest is possible.
Hereditary diseases
There is a risk of genetic abnormalities that form in the embryo. It could be:
- cleft palate;
- dwarfism;
- presence of extra fingers;
- hydrocephalus.
More often they appear due to improper dilution. However, all cats are susceptible to this risk from the list. Otherwise, the domestic cat is a healthy breed and does not have any typical diseases.
Important!
There is a risk of swallowing small parts or toys because... animals try to taste them. They are not allowed to buy small toys with a lot of parts.
Asher cats have digestive problems. They have a weak digestive system and absorb only a standard set of microelements. Therefore, it is not recommended for pets to buy cheap packaged food. It is better to feed them a natural menu, which will include raw meat, vegetables, and cereals.
