A tall, lean cat with the wild jungle cat as its ancestor: clever, athletic and devoted to its people.
The Chausie (you say 'CHOW-see') is a cross between the house cat and the jungle cat, a wild cat that lives near rivers and lakes. It is tall and lean, with long legs, big ears and a short, ticked coat. It is clever, curious and almost always on the move. It bonds closely with its people and would rather not be alone for long.
Bonds closely with its people and is very loyal.
Can be very cuddly with its own people, but it is more of a busy cat than a sofa cat.
Playful and curious, and it stays that way as an adult.
A very active cat. It wants to play, climb and run every day.
Likes to talk, a lot, with meows and all sorts of other sounds.
Clever and quick to learn. Many Chausies learn to play fetch and walk on a harness.
Often friendly with visitors once it feels safe, but it can need some time first.
Often a good match for children who play gently. It loves games and company.
Usually gets along with dogs, most easily when they grow up together.
Usually enjoys a cat friend, ideally one it grew up with.
Does not like long days alone. It needs company and something to do.
Can live indoors in a roomy home with lots of places to climb. A safe outdoor run or walks on a harness help.
A Chausie is a wild animal in the living room.
Most Chausies today are four or more generations away from the jungle cat. TICA's breed standard says their temperament is mostly that of a house cat, and a cat that challenges people is not allowed at shows. The first generations are a different story.
A Chausie is simply an Abyssinian crossed with a jungle cat.
The Abyssinian was only one of the breeds at the start. Oriental Shorthairs and ordinary house cats were used too.
You may not keep a Chausie in the Netherlands or Belgium.
It depends on the generation and the region. In the Netherlands Chausies from F5 on count as house cats. In Flanders no Chausie is allowed, and in Wallonia and Brussels you need a permit.
The Chausie began with the jungle cat, a wild cat from Asia and the Middle East. The breed is named after its Latin name: Felis chaus. A kitten with a jungle cat as its father or mother is called an F1. Its kitten is an F2, and so on. The higher the number, the more house cat. Most Chausies today are F4 or later.
In the late 1960s and the 1970s a few people in America cross jungle cats with house cats.
A group of breeders gives the breed the name Chausie and makes a breeding plan.
The American registry TICA starts registering Chausies, as a cross with a wild cat.
The Chausie enters TICA's class for new breeds.
On 1 May the Chausie becomes a championship breed at TICA. Only cats at least four generations from the jungle cat may compete.
The WCF registry publishes its own breed standard for the Chausie.
From 1 July the Netherlands bans new Chausies from F1 to F4.
Tall, lean and athletic, built for running and jumping. Males are bigger and heavier than females.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Black(n)
Brown ticked tabby(n 25)
Black grizzled ticked tabby(n 25)Grizzled comes from the jungle cat: each hair has light bands and a dark tip, so the coat looks frosted with silver. It has no colour code of its own: it is a ticked tabby (n 25) with these silvery tips. Kittens are often born all black.
The Chausie has only three colours, all based on black. Other colours are sometimes still born from old crosses, but are in no breed standard. Classic and mackerel tabby do not count either, and a white patch on the chest rules a cat out at shows.
Grizzled kittens are often born all black; only at about three years old is their silvery coat finished.
The grizzled pattern comes from the jungle cat, so of all domestic breeds only the Chausie has it.
After the first registration in 1995 it took 18 years before the Chausie became a championship breed in 2013.
Many Chausies learn to play fetch and walk on a harness, just like a dog.
There are only three Chausie colours: black, brown ticked and black grizzled.
Nobody has measured how long Chausies live. Most sources say about 12 to 15 years, so take it as a rough guide.
Some Chausies do not cope well with certain ingredients in ordinary cat food and get an upset stomach or diarrhoea. Usually a different food, chosen with the vet, helps. How often it happens has not been studied.
How it is found: No test. Watch what it eats and see the vet if it has loose stools or vomits.
The gut lining stays inflamed, so the cat may vomit, have diarrhoea and lose weight. It is mentioned in Chausies, but how often it happens is not known. With food and medicine it can often be treated well.
How it is found: No DNA test. The vet finds it with blood tests and sometimes a small tissue sample.
The heart muscle thickens, so the heart pumps less well. Many cats show no signs for years. It is mentioned in Chausies, but how often it happens has not been studied.
How it is found: A heart scan of the parents by a specialist.
Males of the first generations after the jungle cat usually cannot father kittens. The cat itself is not bothered by it. Later generations are fertile as normal.
How it is found: No test. The pedigree shows which generation a cat is.
Little work: a comb now and then is enough. Trim the nails about once a month and look after its teeth.
Play, climbing and something to think about every day. Give it high places to jump onto, and take it for a walk on a harness now and then.
A Chausie does not like to be alone for long. It suits people who are often at home best, or a second cat.
TICA recommends meat and good wet food, twice a day. Some Chausies do not cope well with ordinary cat food; then choose together with the vet.
Nobody has ever measured whether Chausies make fewer allergens. If you are allergic to cats, do not count on it.
Checked on 23 October 2026
A Chausie from F5 on counts as a house cat and you may keep it, as long as a pedigree proves the generation. F1 to F4 may not be taken on since 1 July 2024; people who already had one then may keep it, but not breed from it.
In Flanders you may not keep a Chausie, not even from F5 on, unless you had it before the list applied or the minister gave permission. In Wallonia and Brussels every Chausie, of any generation, needs a permit.
Luxembourg's list of animals you may keep names only the house cat, so a Chausie probably needs a permit from the minister. Whether that also applies to later generations is not clear.
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