Chausie Breeder Directory
The Chausie, pronounced "chow-see" is a fully domestic breed that strongly resembles the Jungle Cat, Felis chaus. In Egypt, more than three thousand years ago, two species of wild cat found their way into Egyptian homes. One was Felis lybica, and the other was Felis chaus. Felis chaus, also known as the Jungle Cat, was relatively tame in temperament from the start, with more than usual potential for domestication, but so was Felis lybica. Whether it was chance or there were other reasons, the Egyptians ultimately developed the domestic cat from Felis lybica. Nonetheless, they loved the Jungle Cat, enough to honor them occasionally with formal funeral rites, such as mummification - enough to take them hunting and paint them into scene after scene in murals. Some say that the statues of the goddess Bastet were modeled after Jungle Cats and we can certainly see the resemblance in her long, slender body and large ears!
Temperament
Common personality traits in the breed are their activity level, they are thieves, they are loyal and bond tightly to their person - they can learn to open doors and cupboards and love to get into things - they are thought of as the "supervisor" as they want to be in the middle of whatever is going on, they are curious and intelligent. They need stimulation and interaction....they are not a breed that does well by themselves if a person is gone all day.
Health
Chausies are bred to be medium to large in size, as compared to traditional domestic breeds (Chausie breed standard). 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.
