Chausie Breed Profile

History of the Chausie:

The Chausie (pronounced chow-sie) is another "man made" breed created by crossing a domestic cat to a Jungle Cat (Felis chaus). The Jungle Cat is a close relative to the domestic cat (F. Lybica). The Jungle Cat is found from north Africa to southeast Asia and is most prevalent in India.

Matings between the Jungle Cat and domestic have occurred naturally in the past. But people began to cross these cats in the 1960's and 1970's to create a wild looking cat with the temperament of a domestic cat. There is little information available on these cats or if any attempts were made to create a breed and have them registered.

In the 1990's a group of breeders began to once again cross the Jungle Cat to domestic cats. The "Chausie" was accepted for registration status with TICA in 1995, new breed status in 2003 and will be awarded full Championship status in 2013.

As of now, the only allowable outcrosses are the Jungle Cat, Abyssinian and the domestic.

Appearance of the Chausie:

The Chausie is a large breed of cat females are noticeably smaller than males. The body is long, lean and muscular, rectangular in shape with a deep chest. The legs are long and muscular, hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs. The paws are small and round in shape. The tail is 3/4 length to full with 3/4 being preferred.

The head is a modified wedge, medium in size and longer than it is wide, the cheekbones are set high, the forehead long and sloping. The ears are tall and reasonably close together, ear tufts are preferred. The eyes are medium and oval shaped, they may range in colour from gold/yellow to green.

The coat is short in length with a fine undercoat and a coarser to coat.

They come in three colours:

• Black

• Black silver tipped (grizzled) tabby

• Brown ticked tabby

Temperament of the Chausie:

The Chausie is an intelligent cat. Active, playful and athletic, they are well known for their ability to jump extremely high vertically and run fast. They need a lot of play to keep themselves physically and mentally stimulated.

They are said to be quite a dog like in personality and seek out human attention. They are not suited to spending large amounts of time on their own.

They get along well with people, older children, and other pets.

Special requirements:

The short coat is relatively easy to care for with only a weekly groom required.

Lifespan:

Approximately 12-14 years.