LOS ANGELES -- Following is a transcript of a report aired on KNBC on April 15, 2008.JO CACHIA (Ashera Owner): We all fell in love with him, the minute we laid eyes on him. Everyone that sees the cat is blown away by his coat. I mean, he's got a gorgeous coat.
JENNIFER BJORKLUND: The Cachia family says their 8-month-old kitten, Hobie, is quite a character -- energetic, curious and lightning fast.
LEXI CACHIA: If you want to play with him, he'll always play back with you.
BJORKLUND: But Hobie is no ordinary house cat. Hobie is an Ashera.
JO CACHIA: It's fun to have an exotic animal, and not so exotic that you have to worry about it eating your children's friends.
BJORKLUND: Asheras are a new breed that combines domestic cat with African serval and Asian leopard.
JO CACHIA: I think he looks more wild, and he feels more domestic.
BJORKLUND: That balance is what breed Simon Brodie was after when he began developing asheras in 2005.
SIMON BRODIE (Lifestyle Pets): We're able to essentially water down the wild blood. It's very important that we do end up with a what is essentially a pet
BJORKLUND: An animal that he believes looks like a mini-leopard, but has the temperament of a house cat.
BRODIE: I think it really brings an element of the wild into the home safely
BJORKLUND: And Asheras are eye-catching -- not just for their spots and stripes, but for their size. This Ashera is just 14 months old and will not be fully grown for a year.
BRODIE: I think it's the nearest anybody can come to owning a really exotic cat.
BJORKLUND: Adult Asheras could weigh up to 25 pounds and stand nearly 4 feet tall.
JOE CACHIA: Those claws and teeth are also going to be a lot bigger. I don't really worry about it, but it's something I think about.
BJORKLUND: Jo says Hobie gets along well with her daughters and their other cats. She says she's had no behavior issues with Hobie. Despite his unusual growl, she would recommend Asheras as pets.
Servals and leopards are banned as pets in California, but when they are crossed with house cats with house cats they are legal. Still, some animal experts worry. Are Asheras safe?
MICHAEL MARKARIAN (U.S. Humane Society): These are still wild animals. You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you cannot take the jungle out of the cat. These animals are not suitable pets.
BJORKLUND: He refers to hybrids as Frankenstein cats.
MARKARIAN: This is such a new fad of crossing wild animals with domestic animals ... We don't know what the long-term results will be, and why take that risk?
BJORKLUND: While Brodie insists that hybrid cats are nothing new, he will not reveal how much wild cat is in the DNA of of an Ashera. The formula, he says, is what makes the Ashera so extraordinary.
BRODIE: It's the most striking cat that anyone has seen.
BJORKLUND: Brodie anticipates he will sell only 100 Asheras this year. Almost 90 percent of them will go overseas. Another factor to consider: A standard Ashera will cost you $22,000.
