World most expensive cat

[Linda (Bengalbabe)]

Oooh am sure Esmond will still be Lord, wherever he is 

[Gillian Harvey]

Agree Lynn.  I think the one actually recorded in the Guiness Book of Records is 25 grand (sold by Esmond to Cindy Jackson) albiet Esmond Gay states that he sold Zeus (from Sarez Pow Wow who is now at Gayzette) for a record 100k.

Does he still use the 'Lord' Esmond Gay title Linda? or has he dropped that now?

[ccmacey]

Previously his company has developed hypo-allergenic cats for allergy sufferers.

Do not agree with this at all, there are tablets out there!

What the hell are they doing behind closed doors. 

[LeighK]

sitting on the sofa with Bilbo and one side and Baggins on the other, both purring like little V8s, is priceless.

Hi Carl,

If you close your eyes it'd make a good virtual Le Mans driving experience then ?!  . Get the OH to buy you a full-face helmet, some flameproof overalls and some driving gloves for Christmas m8 but watch what your doing when changing gear

Cheers

Leigh

[carl (billy and baggys dad)]

These might cost 13 grand or whatever it is the greedy feckers are trying to charge, but sitting on the sofa with Bilbo and one side and Baggins on the other, both purring like little V8s, is priceless.

[Linda (Bengalbabe)]

Dont know why its classed as the most expensive cat, there are some bengals been sold for much more 

Agree Lynn.  I think the one actually recorded in the Guiness Book of Records is 25 grand (sold by Esmond to Cindy Jackson) albiet Esmond Gay states that he sold Zeus (from Sarez Pow Wow who is now at Gayzette) for a record 100k.

Interestingly one of the kittens estimated at 60-80k in the article posted is the mum to my wonderful Minerva. Kaiser my F1 boy was produced from a repeat mating of Apollo to Zamba 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

yes 

[Christine (Blip)]

I have just had cause to go back through every thread on Purrs......the  reason will become clear next week  :shify

To digress for a moment - is this something to do with our birthday party? 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

and therefore find it strange that on same day over a month later we have two posts about them.........I had forgotten other posts and saw the original by complete accident

[Millys Mum]

I knew that without looking back 

[CurlyCatz]

and ?

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I have just had cause to go back through every thread on Purrs......the  reason will become clear next week  .....and much to my suprise these cats were posted about in September!

[CurlyCatz]

Mmmmm whilst i dont know them myself i think there might have been an element of "hope" perhaps but dont think they believed it would happen.

[Ralph's mum (angie)]

 

When Frank and Pauline Turnock put their 18-month-old Bengal cat in their two-and-a-half year-old Asian leopard cat's cage for companionship, they never expected the pair to mate,

I dont believe that for a minute  but they are beauties, I dont know anything of this breed but I feel a love interest happening  thanks Lynn

[puddypaws]

I'd love a Bengal, but I can't raise £11,000 

[CurlyCatz]

have a read of this angie 

http://www.buchanie.co.uk/archived/2005/Week_02/news/kittens.asp

[Ralph's mum (angie)]

  £11,000 for a Bengal really, gosh

[CurlyCatz]

Dont know why its classed as the most exensive cat, there are some bengals been sold for much more 

[Millys Mum]

I am curious as to how it can be a mix of 3 cats though, you only have 2 parents

The wonders of interfering science, they can mix jellyfish with rabbit to make them glow so mixing in 3 cats shouldnt be a problem 

[Desley (booktigger)]

Yeah, but sadly, spending a lot of money on animals doesn't mean they wont come into rescue, it is more if people can cope with them, and if these are very high energy, and if they get bored become destructive, then they will. It is a big factor in Bengals coming into rescue, and the other common one is Persians, because people can't cope with the grooming.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Oh does that mean some clown will then declaw them?

Maybe he should have breed anti-allergin, declawless ones that change the color of their spots to match the furnishings!!

[swampmaxmum]

My vet wants to be sure that if any of his clients buys one of these, that they bring their behaviour expert to the surgery with them 
Personally I'm not entirely sure that this 'designer' cat goes too well with the concept of expensive soft furnishings..........

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I wouldnt count on them not ending up in rescue though, people pay a lot of money for Bengals, and Bengal rescues are generally overrun

But your average bengal doesn't cost £10000+!  Bengals are now the 3rd most popular breed, in terms of GCCF registrations (after british shorthair and siamese) - not counting the backyard breeders - so there are a lot of them around which is why there are a lot in rescue.  I think it will be a long time (if ever) before the Ashera is bred in sufficient numbers to be a rescue problem.

They are stunning looking cats, but unlike most new 'designer' breeds that are usually created by cat people who do love the breed and do their best to be responsible, these seem to be created in a totally different way by someone whose only interest in them is as a business product.  That's my main opposition to them.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Not only money making but also experimental it sounds 

[Desley (booktigger)]

So sad, yet more cats being bred for 'daft' reasons - I am curious as to how it can be a mix of 3 cats though, you only have 2 parents - and I dont like the fact they use moggies in it, unless they have been doing careful breeding of moggies for a while before this, you don't know what they have in their bloodlines, and could potentially be breeding sickly cats. I wouldnt count on them not ending up in rescue though, people pay a lot of money for Bengals, and Bengal rescues are generally overrun due to people not realising the care they need, and these sound like they need more than Bengals. Add to that the fact he must be breeding cats that dont meet the 'standards' he wants. And technically, hypo-allergenic cats dont exist - and the fact it mentions 'his lab' screams that this is a money making scheme, not a true breeder.

[Ellie]

Never mind the behaviour expert, for £14,000 I'd expect Sir David Attenborough !! 




You have got a point Leigh

 

I love the cat but hate the thought of pets made to order by some only in it for the money  human 

[Millys Mum]

These cats are not for the faint hearted and I believe need experienced handling.

Not from some Paris Hilton wannabe, thats why give it a few years and there will be Ashera Rescue 

[Linda (Bengalbabe)]

Do agree with some of the comments here but still I think its just fab    I cannot see this ever being popular enough though to add more problems to rescues.  Even early generation bengals (F1's & 2's) are relatively uncommon as household pets and bengals have been around for a little bit now.  These cats are not for the faint hearted and I believe need experienced handling.

[alisonandarchie]

Would imagine these poor animals need quite alot of looking after and they must need lots of exercise. Just a money making exercise, shameful

[JackSpratt]

Wow, they don't think there's enough cats needing homes already - they're genetically engineering them now. Money grabbing idiots! Stunning cat, though. Can't blame the poor little one for being around, can you?

[sheryl]

It worries me how many cats/kittens were discarded because they were not "right" and the poor animals are bred in a laboratory, playing with nature to the extreme in my opinion.

[alisonandarchie]

Never mind the behaviour expert, for £14,000 I'd expect Sir David Attenborough !! 




You have got a point Leigh

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

They had that in the Metro last week I think....

Penguin was expensive enough at roughly £1,500 for shipping from the US and the fostering expense.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Horrid idea implemented by someone as a business propostion (and who was sent to prison for false accounting) and not by someone who cares about cats.  It seems to be nothing more than a cloning.  How on earth can they gurarantee all cats will have the same markings?  And why would anyone want that?  And what happens to those that don't match up?

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=73449&in_page_id=34

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

This isn't even cat breeding.  It's a combination of IVF and eugenics for financial gain.

Only plus point is that I doubt they will ever become popular enough to trouble rescues.

[Yvonne]

I would be very surprised if one of those ended up in a rescue

[Millys Mum]

Another breed for rescues to pick up the pieces from  

[LeighK]

I saw a report about this cat on the news. Apparently part of the package when you buy it is a visit from an animal behaviour expert.

Never mind the behaviour expert, for £14,000 I'd expect Sir David Attenborough !! 

Cheers

Leigh

Edit : and a film crew!

[alisonandarchie]

I saw a report about this cat on the news. Apparently part of the package when you buy it is a visit from an animal behaviour expert.

[Ralph's mum (angie)]

Just read this on msn, wouldn't like to empty his litter tray 
A new hybrid domestic cat, described as the "largest, rarest and most exotic" in the world, has gone on sale in the US.

The Ashera is mixture of African Surval, the Asian Leopard cat and the ordinary domestic cat.

The pets are going on sale in the US - with a one year waiting list - for between £11,000 to £14,000 each and only about 50 of the leopard-spotted cats are sold annually.

Ashera handler Ryan Oylear says the Ashera also behaves more like its bigger, wilder ancestor and has a life expectancy of up to 25 years.

British businessman Simon Brodie used a team of geneticists to develop the exotic pet at his US lab.

Previously his company has developed hypo-allergenic cats for allergy sufferers.