Chausie - Cats of the World

The Chausie is an amazing cat and one you won't run across every day. To start with, Chausies are Hybrid Cats, a cross between the Jungle Cat, Felis Chaus, and the domestic cat, Felis Catus

The Jungle Cat , the wild side of the Chausie, is a medium-small wild cat resembling a small Lynx, and originally came from Asia, India and Sri Lanka. The domestic side of the Chausie is usually an Abyssinian, chosen as they look more like a Jungle Cat to start with.

The result is the Chausie, a tall, statuesque cat, upright in stance, medium to large in size, with long legs and large mobile tufted ears. Chausies are said to be good natured, loyal and intelligent. They also look rather frightening!

I believe that I was a Chaussie in another life.

The Jungle Cat, Felis chaus, isn't just any wild cat whose habitat is jungle or forest, it's a distinct species, with nine subspecies, and is one of the largest of the small cats of my genus, the Felis.

This species could well be among the rarest of the small cats in Asia, is rare throughout the Middle East, where it is heavily hunted and poisoned. It's thought that the Jungle Cat population is still stable in the Caucasus, although it is heavily hunted there for its fur!

The chief habitats of the Jungle Cat are wetlands and river valleys where it preys on rodents and other small animals, and sometimes on the young of larger animals.

Felis chaus is closely related to the African Wild Cat, the ancestor of modern domestic cats, that's why they can interbreed with us.

Chausies come in three colours, brown ticked tabby, solid black and the classy silver-tip Their ears are very noticeable, large, mobile, and often lynx-tipped.

I'm fascinated by their tails, which are usually just 3/4 length and, in essence, like my tail is these days. ( If you don't know about this, you can read The Cat's Tale)

When people first see a Chausie, especially one slinking along in liquid motion, they're immediately awed by the elegant grace and agility. This breed is built for hunting, running and jumping, and exudes the essence of catness which makes all cats such interesting and intriguing companions.

The Chausie has a wild look for sure, though apparently not a wild temperament, the well-bred Chausie is a sweet-natured cat.

He isn't the sort of cat who would suit just anybody, he's extremely active and, like all of us from tabby to tiger, very curious. They like to climb up to high places and can jump an incredible 6 foot from a standing position.

A Chausie needs plenty of room, plenty of company, plenty of playtime and plenty of toys. The way to look after a hybrid cat like this is to keep his active mind and paws busy.

Two Hybrid cats here - the growls and hisses seem rather ill-mannered (if not frightening) to a refined cat such as myself

F1, F2 and F3 Hybrids

F1 refers to any progeny of a mating between a wild cat and a domestic. The 1 signifies that these are the first generation from the wild. The F1 cats have 50% wild and 50% domestic blood.

F2 refers to the litter of kittens bred from the mating of an F1 with a domestic cat, which equals 25% wild and 75% domestic, these are second-generation cats, hence the 2.

The F3s are the subsequent third generation, containing even less wild cat blood.

All F1 males, most F2 males, and many F3 males are sterile.

African Wild Cat
All the domestic cats you know today have a common ancestor - and that ancestor still runs free across the savannah which is a lot more than you can say for the human ancestor ...