An Ashera is a hybrid or "designer" cat that is a result of breeding the wild African serval and the Asian leopard cats with a domestic house cat. Asheras were developed by Simon Brodie of the designer pet company, Lifestyle Pets, beginning in 2005. Lifestyle Pets is an offshoot of Allerca, which claimed in 2006 to have produced an allergen-free cat.

Laws regarding hybrid cats vary by state. Both servals and Asian leopard cats are illegal to own in the United States, but the cross with a domestic cat makes the resulting Ashera legal in some jurisdictions.Science Dude: Designer kittens for $22,000. (April 23, 2008)

Anytime two separate species of felines breeds with each other, a hybrid cat can result. Most of the time, this is a singular, chance event, and most cat hybrids are not specifically bred. For example, the Liger, a cross between a male lion and female tiger that was mentioned in the 2004 comedy Napoleon Dynamite, can occasionally be found in African jungles and in captivity. Also, The Savannah cat, which is a cross between a serval and a domestic cat, has been bred since 1980. The Chausie Cat is a hybrid of a domestic cat and a Jungle Cat (Felis chaus).Chausie: History

Even though they are legal, some hybrid cat critics are concerned about the ethics and the safety of breeding hybrid cats. Many critics maintain that wild animals do not make suitable pets. Some critics have gone so far as to call the hybrids "Frankencats."Science Dude: Designer kittens for $22,000. (April 23, 2008)

"It's fun to have an exotic animal...and not so exotic that you have to worry about it eating your children's friends..."— Jo Cachia, Ashera ownerYouTube: Ashera Cats (Time: 3:22)