Ashera Cats: Right or Wrong?

rescuecatsrule

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Last issue of a magazine I regularly read had an article about a new breed starting up. The waiting list for an Ashera is about 5 years (if I've remembered right).

The article made a good point. When something new comes along are all those who buy Asheras going to dump them on charities in favour of something more fashionable?

Do you think people should pay several thousands of pounds for an Ashera or do you think they should be reponsible and get a rescue cat?
 

pipersjo

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I am all for rescue cats, but I don't think I can decide whether someone else should get a rescue or not. If they have the money and the patience to wait for it, then they should get what they want. Look how many purebred cats people have on this board. Can you tell them that they were wrong to get that cat that they love? Everyone has different priorities and values.

I hope that this gets moved to IMO-- it's definately an opinion thread.
 

brandi

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I didnt mean it like that...I realize now thats how it came off...here is a little more indepth on why I said why I said

You pay upfront and get your cat 9 months later. Could it be a big scam? Brodie, the breeder of the Ashera first attempted to get some Savannah breeding cats using a fake name and company name. He also wants to sell franchises to breed the Ashera. Would you give him $22,000 upfront for a cat you won't get for almost a year (if at all)? Especially as you can buy a Savannah cat for much less and much sooner. The benefit of a Savannah over an Ashera is that you can exhibit them at shows. Non-traditionally bred cats and franchised breeds aren't recognised by cat registries and can't be exhibited.


Upmarket designer cats have been tried. The California Spangled Cat was once sold in upmarket stores and has all but disappeared. The IRCA Ragdoll was bred under franchise and was ineligible for exhibition. The Ashera will be illegal in jurisdictions that prohibit wild/domestic hybrids. As for the claim of flying the cat to you in the cabin, many airlines don't permit animals in the cabin and only carry them in the hold. Even the franchising scheme may be illegal in some states. As for buyers, a fool and his money are easily parted.
 

batgirl2good

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Originally Posted by rescuecatsrule

Last issue of a magazine I regularly read had an article about a new breed starting up. The waiting list for an Ashera is about 5 years (if I've remembered right).

The article made a good point. When something new comes along are all those who buy Asheras going to dump them on charities in favour of something more fashionable?

Do you think people should pay several thousands of pounds for an Ashera or do you think they should be reponsible and get a rescue cat?
I have never heard of an Ashera cat until now.

I would get a rescue cat, if it were me.
 

okiron

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with 22k i rather open a tiger sanctuary. sure it'll be no where near enough but if i have that kind of money laying around for a cat, that's what i'll do.
 

pipersjo

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Originally Posted by Brandi

I didnt mean it like that...I realize now thats how it came off...here is a little more indepth on why I said why I said

You pay upfront and get your cat 9 months later. Could it be a big scam? Brodie, the breeder of the Ashera first attempted to get some Savannah breeding cats using a fake name and company name. He also wants to sell franchises to breed the Ashera. Would you give him $22,000 upfront for a cat you won't get for almost a year (if at all)? Especially as you can buy a Savannah cat for much less and much sooner. The benefit of a Savannah over an Ashera is that you can exhibit them at shows. Non-traditionally bred cats and franchised breeds aren't recognised by cat registries and can't be exhibited.


Upmarket designer cats have been tried. The California Spangled Cat was once sold in upmarket stores and has all but disappeared. The IRCA Ragdoll was bred under franchise and was ineligible for exhibition. The Ashera will be illegal in jurisdictions that prohibit wild/domestic hybrids. As for the claim of flying the cat to you in the cabin, many airlines don't permit animals in the cabin and only carry them in the hold. Even the franchising scheme may be illegal in some states. As for buyers, a fool and his money are easily parted.
Gotcha! Thank you for the explanation... I remember these cats now (someone posted about them a while ago). You would have to have a lot of trust to wait 9 months for a cat that you paid that much money for. As I said before, I personally would get a rescue cat and not just because this cat is so expensive.
 

cata_mint

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Maybe its because I'm a...
I think the guy who is breeding them is nuts! He's tried to breed glow in the dark deer!
Plus I would love to know more about the technology he is using to ensure that all his cats have a uniform appearance. They look too big to be far removed from servals/savannahs, so how is he making sure they all look alike?
I'd suspect cloning but that would be too expensive.

Even bengal breeders get more variation within the breed than he is admitting to, and that breed has been around for far longer. I guess I'm afraid he's disposing of the kittens that don't meet his high standards. I also find it very suspicious that you can't see the cattery, or know who the kittens' parents are.
However, I guess if you cared enough to want to know those things, you wouldn't be buying an Ashera!


http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2201999,00.html

If people really want a spotted unusual cat, then they should spend their money on a top show quality bengal/ocicat/e.mau/savannah and spend the rest of the $20,000 on cat beds, scratching posts and kitty treats.
 

siggav

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You're lacking options in the poll.

There are other options than Ashera or Rescue cat. I.e a whole bunch of people have 'normal' purebred cats and are quite happy with those.

As for the Ashera cat I see it as a scam. It's someone selling what's basically early generation Savannah cats not bred to a standard for a very high sum of money. It just doesn't make sense. I think it's also unlikely that the prospective owners of these cats know what they're getting themselves into.

There's no way you can have a cat that big with a 'normal' pet cat temprament. It has to be a cat with a high wild blood % and that means a whole host of behavioural quirks and issues that the owners need to be prepared to deal with.
 
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rescuecatsrule

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Originally Posted by Siggav

You're lacking options in the poll.

There are other options than Ashera or Rescue cat. I.e a whole bunch of people have 'normal' purebred cats and are quite happy with those.
Well in the magazine they were saying which one should people get - rescue cat or Ashera?

I see your point though.
 

sarahp

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I think anyone who gets an Ashera is an idiot. Why pay $20k for a cat? You can get an amazing purebred for a lot less, and an equally sweet rescue for even less. The person "breeding" them doesn't seem to care about the cats at all, and trying to better a breed - he just wants to make money.

In answer to your initial question - I think breeding Ashera cats is wrong.
 

abymummy

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The fact that you have to pay $22k for a cat already tells you it's all wrong.

I've said this before and I'll say it again...

There's more than 50 recognised breeds of cat, some so rare it's dying out...we don't need anymore designer cats!

What we do need are more ethical and responsible breeders to bring the rare ones back!
 

denice

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I remember maybe 10 years ago reading an article about a British breeder who was selling Bengal cats. It was the same over-hype thing and selling them for an outrageous amount of money. The same claims about them being a one of a kind trendy pet. I wonder if it's the same person doing the same thing with Savannahs.
 

sol

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I disagree with keeping wild cats and hybrids as pets. Pure and simple. Wild animals belong in the wild. There are many reason as to why we have domesticated several species, the cat is one of them.
 

epona

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All other considerations aside, this is at its core I am almost certain (if anyone knows different I am happy to be corrected!), a patenting issue. I imagine this individual/corporation owns the patent for this 'breed', meaning that they have sole rights to its 'manufacture' (or granting a license to others for its manufacture, at a price of course) and use of the 'brand name'. It basically reduces a living creature to a manufactured, branded, copyrighted, commodity.

It therefore has the potential to make this individual/corporation an awful lot of money from stupid rich people, this 'breed' is much the same in their eyes (and legally, in terms of patents and branding etc) as a stupidly priced designer handbag.

Very definitely wrong.
 

nekochan

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I don't think I would get one even if I loved how they looked and had a spare $22,000 lying around. Although the waiting doesn't bother me too much in and of itself-- my brother waited 2 years before he got his Maine Coon-- the whole scheme is just weird. I'd probably get something like a Bengal or Ocicat or something instead.
 

urbantigers

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Originally Posted by Epona

All other considerations aside, this is at its core I am almost certain (if anyone knows different I am happy to be corrected!), a patenting issue. I imagine this individual/corporation owns the patent for this 'breed', meaning that they have sole rights to its 'manufacture' (or granting a license to others for its manufacture, at a price of course) and use of the 'brand name'. It basically reduces a living creature to a manufactured, branded, copyrighted, commodity.

It therefore has the potential to make this individual/corporation an awful lot of money from stupid rich people, this 'breed' is much the same in their eyes (and legally, in terms of patents and branding etc) as a stupidly priced designer handbag.

Very definitely wrong.
The problem I have with the Ashera is that it seems to be manufactured and marketed as a commodity by someone as a business proposition. It isn't a new breed that has been developed by a cat lover, it's purely business. The cats are products and little more.

I find it difficult to answer the poll because while I would definitely choose a rescue cat over an Ashera, I wouldn't tell someone else they shouldn't get a pure bred cat (just not an Ashera!)
 

lovinmom828

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I said i think it is up to them Since i have a Rescue cat and kitten we bought we sure didn't pay $20,000 on her, i don't think i could spend more than $100 when there are so many Rescue cats that need homes, think of the Cat food you could buy with 20,000???? lol.
 

okiron

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I don't get the "I don't want to answer" option. If you don't want to answer, don't vote lol.
 
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