Chausie

Appearance and features:

The Chausie is a long-legged, tall, statuesque cat with a slightly shortened tail.  Their body should be long and lean, not cobby or thick-bodied, built for running and jumping.  The Chausie has a deep chest with flat sides, which enables them to breathe deeply.  Their boning is sufficient to carry the cat with grace and balance. Like the Jungle Cat, Chausies have large, upright, preferably broad tufted ears, tall, and set about 2 fingers width apart, high on the a long sloping forehead and muzzle.  Their eyes are flattened on the top with a slightly rounded bottom. Their cheekbones are striking—prominent, long, and angular.

Size:

Chausies are a medium to large in size typically weighing 15 to 25 pounds.

Family:

The Chausie is a domestic breed of cat that was developed by breeding a few individuals from the non-domestic species The Jungle Cat that dwells from the Nile Valley to the Caspian Sea. The Jungle Cat also is normally found in South Asia as far Vietnam.  This Jungle Cat mix was then bred to a far greater number of domestic cats in order to get a more domesticated personality in the cat breed.

Coloring:

The Chausies are still frequently born in a variety of colors and patterns, however, only three permissible colors are considered ideal. The Chausie standard allows solid black, which may have faint tabby markings (called ghost markings), black grizzled tabby, and black (a.k.a. brown) ticked tabby. Only cats in the three permissible colors can be entered in new breed classes at cat shows, and only the three colors will be eligible eventually for championship classes. Gold or yellow eye color is preferred, though yellower and lighter shades of green are allowed.

Origin:

The Jungle Cat has an extensive history dating back to the time of the ancient Egyptians several thousand years ago. Domesticated by the Egyptians because of their easy-going temperaments, many are found mummified within the Egyptian temples attesting to the high regard in which they were held.

A few people experimented with breeding hybrids across North America to Southeast Asia, including India in the late 1960s and 1970s. However, the first recorded breeding of a Jungle Cat and a domestic cat was in 1990 and was the start to the bred standards for their breeding program.

Temperament:

Chausie are not a timid species; they are highly athletic and active, almost constantly in motion while interacting with their humans. The well-bred Chausie personality is good natured, intelligent, and curious, needing plenty of playtime and toys to keep their active minds and paws busy. They are well known for learning to play fetch, open doors, cupboards, or anywhere else they take a mind to explore.

Health concerns:

Chausies may inherit intestinal tracts similar to that of the non-domestic ancestors. The intestinal tract may be a little shorter than that of the traditional domestic cat. A shorter intestinal tract is thought to be less capable of processing ingredients derived from plants. That would include any kind of cereal, as well as vegetables, herbs, and spices. Those ingredients may serve as triggers for chronic intestinal inflammation and eventually lead to chronic inflammatory bowel disease that is perpetuated by multiple allergies to proteins in commercial cat food.  Chausies are also prone to developing food allergies.

WARNING:

As a hybrid breed, Chausies are illegal to own in some states or municipalities in the United States.

Breed Characteristics

Here is a helpful guide for the different characteristics of the breed.  On a Scale of 1-5.  1 being very low level to 5 being high level.

Adaptability
5/5
Energy Level
5/5
Extra Grooming
2/5
Affection Level
5/5
Social Needs
5/5
Shedding
3/5
Kid Friendly
4/5
Friendly to Strangers
4/5
Health Concerns
3/5
Dog Friendly
5/5
Intellegence
5/5
Vocalization
5/5

Hypoallergenic: No

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