Chausie catorigin and development

The Chausie cat is a hybrid cat breed created by man. We have heard people refer to it as a Jungle cat hybrid.

Domestication of the wild Jungle cat started centuries ago. It is believed that the Ancient Egyptians welcomed the wild Jungle Catinto their homes. Over time, these wild cats with theireven temperaments and dashing good looks became domesticated andrevered by the Pharaohs. 

© Photo Courtesy of Helmi Flick. Chausie owned by Sheryl Koontz of Merechal Cattery

TheJungle cat, with the Latin name of Felis Chaus, is believed to havemated with domestic cats and so the first hybrid domestic cats were established some3000 years ago!

Whilst none of this can be confirmed, statues, mummiesand murals found in Egyptian tombs and Pyramids depicts a cat thatstrongly resembles the Felis Chaus.

We have read that they wereoriginally known as Nile cats or Stone Cougars, but we cannot confirm this.

Inthe late 60"s to early 70"s breeders developed hybrids by crossing theJungle Cat with various domestic cats.

The objective of these earlybreeding programs was to produce a hybrid cat breed that would satisfythe needs of people desiring a wild cat.

This it seemed was a healthyalternative to keeping a wild cat as a pet. (The California Spangled,was also developed in the 70"s, but has now largely disappeared. It toowas developed with the same objective in mind, but using only domesticcats in the breeding program).

Inthe 1990"s this breeding program was resurrected adopting new andadvanced expertise....and so the Chausie cat was born.

The name"Chausie" that these hybrid cats carry today was derived from its wildancestor, Felis Chaus.

Today only the Abyssinian and domestic shorthairis allowed for outcrossing.

The International Cat Association (TICA) afforded the Chausiefoundation registry status in 1995 and moved to Advanced New Breed (ANB)status in 2003.

The Chausie was awarded Championship status by TICA in May 2013.

The CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) and GCCF (Governing Council of theCat Fancy) do not, at this stage recognize the Chausie - but thingschange and we will keep you posted.

Asthe Chausie cat is a wild hybrid cat breed certain States in the USA doimpose restrictions on keeping cats of wild origin especially first generation crosses.

To avoiddisappointment, we recommend that potential owners search the Hybrid Law(USA) web site for additional information.

Also check your localcounty regulations and homeowners" rules to determine what ordinancesapply in your area.

These regulations will affect all hybrid cats. This includes Savannah cats (cross Serval), Bengal cat (cross Asian Leopard) and Safari cat (Geoffroy"s).