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.

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