The World's Most Controversial Cat. The Most Comprehensive Guide Ever Written About Owning One.
In 2007, a company called Lifestyle Pets announced the Ashera - claimed to be a proprietary hybrid of the African serval, the Asian leopard cat, and a domestic cat, sold for up to $125,000 and available to only the wealthiest buyers in the world. Celebrities were rumoured to own them. The international press could not stop talking about them. And then DNA testing exposed the truth.
The Ashera was not what it claimed to be. But the cats were real. And the questions they raised - about wild-hybrid cat ownership, about what these animals need, about what we owe them - have never been more relevant.
This book tells the full story and answers every question a serious owner needs to ask.
Written for owners and prospective owners of large serval-hybrid cats, this guide covers the complete Ashera and Savannah cat controversy in unflinching detail - then goes beyond the history to provide the most thorough and practical care manual available for these extraordinary animals.
Inside you will find the complete history of the Ashera brand, the DNA scandal, and what really happened to Simon Brodie and Lifestyle Pets. A full breakdown of Savannah cat generations F1 through F5, what each means for size, temperament, and care requirements, and how they compare to the Ashera. A comprehensive legal guide covering every US state, the UK, Europe, Australia, and Canada, including exactly which jurisdictions ban these cats and which require permits. A raw feeding guide built around the serval's wild diet, with prey-model formulas, daily feeding quantities by life stage, and a complete list of toxic foods. The critical vaccine warning every hybrid cat owner must know - why modified live vaccines can be fatal in F1 and F2 cats, and what to use instead. A complete guide to finding a veterinarian experienced with exotic hybrids, including the questions you must ask before registering your cat. Full enrichment and exercise programmes, harness training protocols, and daily activity schedules. Positive reinforcement training methods, step-by-step socialisation protocols for children and other animals, and a complete body language guide. Health chapters covering HCM screening, Progressive Retinal Atrophy, dental disease, anaesthetic risks, and urinary conditions common in large male cats. Life stage guidance from kittenhood through geriatric care. An honest reckoning with the ethics of wild-hybrid ownership, including planning for rehoming, including the animal in your will, and understanding the commitment you are making.
This is not a book for casual readers. It is a book for people who take these animals seriously - who want to understand them fully, care for them properly, and give them the extraordinary life they deserve.
