Chausie cats are intelligent, sweet, loyal, and energetic. Often I hear the term doglike (personality) for descriptive phrases. Most enjoy the water. For the right home and human family this domestic Chausie cat makes a perfectly charming pet.

Though it is a misnomer the term designer cat has been coined for nondomestic hybrid source breeds, such as the Chausie, Bengal, and Savannah.

The domestic Chausie Cat origins were from breeding a nondomestic species, the Jungle cat (Felis chaus) with a domestic house cat (Abyssinian cat). So, a hybrid was the beginning of the Chausie but the Chausie born from the hybrid offspring are no longer a hybrid but a true domestic cat.

The nondomestic ancestor, Jungle Cats, were in Egyptian homes over three thousand years ago and were thought to have been one of the beginnings of most domestic housecats we find today. One other cat found in the ancient Egyptian homes was the Felis lybica the African Wildcat. Evidence of remains of the African Wildcat determined they were found in Middle Eastern homes as long as 10,000 years ago. So, obviously all domestic cats had wild ancestors; we just didn’t have a domestic cat appear magically from the use of a whispered enchantment in an ancient language.

The Jungle Cat is already a cat with excellent qualities and somewhat close to the size of a domestic cat. These non-aggressive cats usually get along well with domestic cats.


The common domestic housecat weighs an average of 10 pounds, the Chausie weighs between 15-30 pounds the male being the heavier of the two. First generation hybrid Chausie (F1) is commonly bigger than with later generations (F2 down). Therefore, the average of the true domestic Chausie is smaller than the stated normal.

The Chausie is heavily muscled with a broad chest and longer legs than the average domestic cat, a long and lean body though well muscled, and large tall ears, closely spaced, making for a beautifully shaped cat. Some Chausie cats have tuffs at the tip of their ears.

According to Chausie Breed Committee website, “The Chausie comes in three color-pattern combinations: brown ticked tabby, solid black, and black grizzled tabby”. The Chausie breed’s coloration/markings have held pretty close to true from the original wild parent. The eyes can be green, hazel, or gold.

Common descriptive phrases and words to describe the Chausie cat’s personality are fearless (unafraid as well as confident) loyal, and somewhat dog-like in personality. They love to be the center of attention and have great supervisory skills. If there is a project going on, they are in the middle of it. They are wonderfully inquisitive, love to figure things out such as door latches and other gizmos designed to keep children and pets out of things.

Chausie cats are very loving animals and quite affectionate. Most have a very sweet nature. Most common house cats have charming personalities though, others can be quite obnoxious. Each cat can and will have their own individual unique personalities. They also make more than adequate thieves. They do enjoy showing off their accusations parading around with them in their mouths.

As with any domestic cat a Chausie should not be caged. It is detrimental to their health. They will act and live as any domestic cat will. They will sleep with you, steal the covers, and demand their fair share of anything in the house they want. As with any household cat they live by cat rules, if I want it, it is mine. They will have spurts of high energy. They will be highly inquisitive and get into your stuff. Make sure you can handle it.

The Chausie loves to jump, run, and climb. Build a large and tall condo for the cat since it can jump quite high and they do enjoy sitting in high places. They can run quite fast, leash train them as kittens and take him or her running with you to disperse their energy reserves.

It is important these cats have plenty of love and attention. They have to have interaction with their human family. They are not the kind of cat to be left alone while their human family is at work or on short vacations. It is not mentally healthy and they will get into tomfoolery if left alone.

They need plenty of stimulation, play equipment, and toys to keep them busy, they are a high octane (high-energy) animal. They will play games such as fetch and retrieve balls. If these cats are properly socialized as kittens they make a remarkable pet for the right environment and the right people.

The Chausie cat should have a healthy, high-protein, grain-free diet free from carbohydrates at least as much as possible. Chausie breeders recommend a high quality wet cat food that includes meat and organs. The Chausie should also have raw meat including organs and bones. This diet is necessary for all nondomestic hybrid source breeds and will certainly benefit any domestic cat.

Domestic cats have shorter intestinal tracts comparatively than dogs or humans, and can be prone to stomach upsets, the Chausie is no different.

Make sure they always have plenty of filtered fresh water available. Keep the water and food dishes clean and sanitized.

The Chausie does as well with the litter box as any other domestic cat. Many cats have issues with other cats using the litter box. Cats hate a stinky litter box. If a cat has litter box issues perhaps it’s more of a laziness issue with the cat’s owner. Keep litter boxes scooped; sanitize the litter box often, totally changing the litter with new litter.

Keeping bowls, dishes, toys, litter boxes, bedding clean and sanitary goes a long ways to having a healthy animal. Kind of like maintaining a car, if you keep up with maintenance they will run 200,000 miles or more. I find that if I keep an animal healthy they will live many years only seeing the veterinarian for checkups, neutering and spaying, and vaccinations.


Make sure before acquiring a Chausie you have a veterinarian familiar with the breed. Check with your veterinarian for all needed vaccinations and other medical requirements.

Do make sure the Chausie is legal in your state, county, city or any local ordinances that may pertain to you. This is a great place to start. Hybrid Laws

A good breeder will screen potential Chausie owners to make sure they are able and suited to properly care for their new potential pet. They will make sure you have an environment suitable for a playful, high energy, curious cat. As with all pets and exotic pets do your homework before acquiring the animal.

Here is a list of potential Chausie breeders

Find Chausie cat breeders here Chausie breeders

Here are Chausie rescues – You will find that rescue nondomestic hybrid source breed rescues such as the Chausie, Bengal, or Savannah are very hard to find, rescues often having very long waiting lists.
Chausie Rescue

More on nondomestic hybrid source breeds

Savannahs Do Make Great Pets

Hybrid Cats Designer Cats

Here are images for the Chausie cat and jungle cat

Jungle cat pictures

African Jungle Cat pictures

Chausie kitten pictures
Chausie kitten pictures

chausie kitten

Here are more Chausie pictures for you to enjoy
chausie photos

Chausie cat videos
Chausie cat meets dog while out on walk
chausie video

Chausie cat Leena playing around the house
chausie video

F1 Jungle Cat hybrid video

jungle cat video

Diana Geiger Exotic Pets Editoron

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