Chausie

A Chausie is a hybrid of the domestic cat Felis silvestris catus and Felis chaus, the Jungle Cat. Generations are identified by F1, F2 etc, with F1 being the offspring of the original cat and jungle cat mating. Males in the F1 to F4 generations are usually sterile. The domestic cat breed most widely used for Chausies is the Abyssinian (cat), because they have the same look and active habits as a Jungle Cat but are very much smaller. A Chausie, due to the various sizes of the parents, can weigh between 15 and 30 pounds (when full grown the males are larger than the females). They were first bred in the late 60's or 70's to provide a safer alternative to keeping full jungle cats as pets. The breed was granted registration status with the TICA in March 1995. In February 2001 it was allowed in showhalls when it was changed to evaluation status. It was changed to Advanced New Breed (ANB) status as of May 2003.

Chausie males typically weigh about 25 pounds, while females tend to be smaller. Individuals considering keeping Chausies should be aware of the cats' much larger requirement for space and activity. Digestive tract problems have been occasionally associated with this breed; some cats may be gluten-intolerant, and have trouble digesting commercial catfood which contains wheat or other gluten grains.