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Chausie with nearly perfect head conformation.
Breed standards
TICA standard
Hybrid cat (Felis catus × F. chaus)

The Chausie /ˈsi/ is a domestic breed of cat that was developed by breeding a few individuals from a nondomestic species (Felis chaus) to a far greater number of domestic cats (F. catus). The Chausie was first recognized as a domestic breed by The International Cat Association (TICA). Within the domestic breeds, the Chausie is categorized as a nondomestic hybrid source breed.[1] Other domestic breeds in this category include the Bengal and the Savannah. Because Chausies are mostly descended from domestic cats, by about the fourth generation they are fully fertile and completely domestic in temperament. They only look wild. Chausies should be tall, long, and lean, with very long legs and medium boning. The torso is deep-chested with flat sides. The ears are broad, tall, and set high on the head, about two fingers apart. The cheekbones are striking—prominent, long, and angular—and the eyes are flattened on top and form a half oval below. The coat is short, and the cats can come in three colors: solid black, black grizzled tabby, and black (brown) ticked tabby. Gold or yellow eye color is preferred, though yellower and lighter shades of green are allowed.



A few people experimented with breeding F. chaus to F. catus in the late 1960s and 1970s. Their intention was to provide a sensible alternative to keeping nondomestic cats as pets. However, the Chausie breed did not truly begin until the 1990s, when a dedicated group of breeders named the breed "Chausie" (after F. chaus) and developed a planned breeding program and goals.[3] These breeders asked for and received registration status from TICA in 1995. The breed worked its way through the New Breed Class from May 2001 through April 2013, and became TICA's newest Championship breed on May 1, 2013. [4] Chausies are now being bred in both North America and Europe. The breed has begun the new breed recognition process in the World Cat Federation (WCF).


Very young Chausie kitten. Eye and coat color not yet fully developed.



Chausies are bred to be medium to large in size, as compared to traditional domestic breeds.[5] Most Chausies are a little smaller than a male Maine Coon, for example, but larger than a Siamese. Adult Chausie males typically weigh 9 to 15 pounds. Adult females are usually 7 to 10 pounds. However, because Chausies are built for running and jumping, they tend to be built like basketball players. They are long-bodied and leggy. They often appear quite large, but they weigh less than one would expect.


Solid black Chausies may have faint tabby markings (called ghost markings) as kittens, but usually acquire a dense, even black pigmentation with maturity.[7] Sometimes black grizzled tabby Chausies will appear indistinguishable from solid black Chausies when the amount of grizzling is minimal. Exposure to strong sunlight, as with most black cats, can cause black Chausies to lighten slightly and appear brownish.

Adult Chausie of the black grizzled tabby variety


Adult Chausie of the black ticked tabby variety.

Black ticked tabby Chausies have black ticking, black stripes on the inside of the upper legs and to a lesser extent on the outside, black rings on the tail, a black tail tip, and black tabby markings around the eyes. They are also known as brown ticked tabbies because, although the markings are black, the background color is brownish. The background color can vary in hue across a large range. While Chausie breeders try to avoid producing the very reddish brown background color seen in the Abyssinian breed, they do produce everything else in the range. Background color may be reddish gold, it may be a light golden brown, warm beige, cold beige, and even a very cool light gray with just a hint of brown in it.[8] The latter is a very wild looking background color. Random polygenes influence the background color. Every time a black ticked tabby kitten is born, breeders start guessing what the background color will be. But no one really knows until the cat matures.


F. chaus by nature is a gregarious, fun-loving nondomestic species. They are the otters of the cat world. Because breeders outcrossed the foundation jungle cats to mostly very intelligent, outgoing breeds such as the Abyssinian and Oriental Shorthair, the result was predictable. Chausies are highly intelligent, active, athletic cats. They are often very "busy" as kittens. As adults, they are quieter, but they still retain a playfulness and intellectual curiosity lifelong. One thing to keep in mind: Chausies do not like to be alone. They need to have other cats as companions or have human company most of the time. Chausies get along well with dogs, too, and will do fine if raised with a canine buddy. Additionally, Chausies form deep bonds with people. They are extremely loyal, and may have difficulty adjusting if rehomed as adults. They need intelligent people who like living with complicated, intelligent cats.[9]

As with all nondomestic hybrid source breeds, some Chausies may inherit intestinal tracts similar to that of the nondomestic 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. [10] Regardless of the cause, Chausies do seem somewhat prone to developing food allergies. To prevent this, breeders advise Chausie owners to feed only very high quality commercial cat foods, containing as little of plant-derived ingredients as possible. Some breeders advise feeding homemade raw or cooked meat diets with appropriate supplementation. However, if homemade diets are fed, it should be with the guidance of someone experienced in preparing them. Meat by itself does not contain all the nutrients that Chausies require, and modern meat processing conditions mean a high risk of contamination by potentially dangerous infectious agents.


  1. ^ a b "TICA Registration Rules". pp. 33, 34. 
  2. ^ "Chausie Kittens and Chausie Cats in California". Retrieved 2012-09-11. 
  3. ^ "Chausie Breed Committee". Chausie Breed Committee. Retrieved 2012-09-11. 
  4. ^ "TICA Chausie Breed Information". TICA. Retrieved 2013-05-02. 
  5. ^ "Chausie breed standard". Retrieved 2014-07-19. 
  6. ^ "CHAUSIE (CU)". Retrieved 2012-09-11. 
  7. ^ a b "TICA Uniform Color Description". pp. 5, 6. 
  8. ^ "TICA Uniform Color Description, Brown Tabby". p. 20. 
  10. ^ "The Chausie: The Cat That Came Up from the Reeds". Retrieved 2012-09-11. 
  • Bird, C. "The Chausie: The Cat That Came Up From the Reeds." In: TICA Trend. Harlingen, TX: The International Cat Association, Inc., Dec. 2009/Jan. 2010, Vol. 31 No. 1.
  • "Chausie—Breed Standard and Photos (On-line)". Chausie Breed Committee, TICA. Retrieved February 10, 2012. 
  • Malek, J. The Cat in Ancient Egypt. London: British Museum Press, 1993.
  • Sunquist, M. and Sunquist, F. Wild Cats of the World, p. 60–66. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
  • "Chausie (On-line)". TICA Breed Introductions. Retrieved February 10, 2012. 
  • "Chausie (CU)". TICA Breed Standards. Retrieved February 10, 2012.