The Chausie Breed Standard should be seen with the best pictures of the best cats followed by a commentary on the TICA (The International Cat Association) standard (the CFA does not recognize this breed) which is what I have done here. All the photos are by Helmi Flick. The Chausie is a wild cat hybrid. A cross between the jungle cat and a domestic cat.
I am not just going to recite the Chausie breed standard – pointless to do that except for the fact that you’ve got the superb photographs as a reference. This page is meant to be a different and easier way to introduce yourself to the breed standard; no more. These are my words and I don’t cover the entire standard.
The Chausie should really embody the general appearance of the wild jungle cat, her wild founding parent. After all the purpose of all the wild cat/domestic cat hyrid breeding programme is to allow people to live with, as near as possible, a wild cat with all the socialisation and domestication of a domestic cat.
The Chausie should therefore look lithe, active, athletic and agile. This cat is one of the best jumpers amongst the cat breeds and that comes from athleticism and long slender legs providing a lot of leverage. The cat, though, should be in “balance” (i.e. each element fits with the other) so this breed should neither be too slender (refined) nor too big boned.
As is usual the head is a “modified wedge” a familiar term meaning approximately a three-dimensional triangular shape with rounded corners. The face is not squashed or shortened but she has a full muzzle and chin.
The eyes should be a “slightly flattened oval” and ideally be gold or yellow in colour. A second best is hazel or light green.
The Chausie profile is of a face that has a bit of length (as opposed for example to the British Shorthair or Traditional Persian – the Ultra Persian has a squashed face). So, there should be a “long slopping forehead…. continuing down with good length, to meet the nose bump…..”
The ears are quite large and placed fairly close together. Being large the ears should be tall and wide with a wide base.
All the terminology in relation to the “torso” expresses a requirement that the Chausie needs to look essentially lean, long and athletic (as opposed to chunky and bulky – think Persian).
As this cat is designed to be an excellent jumper and runner the legs are moderately long and muscular. The hind legs are shorter than the front to aid running.
The acceptable outcrosses for this breed are the domestic shorthair (moggie shorthair), any Moggie, the Jungle cat (the wild cat) and the Abyssinian (which looks like the Chausie).
The cat should look statuesque. This I am guessing is a passing reference to the fact that in Egyptian Cat Art, the cat often depicted is very similar in appearance to the Chausie and the Abyssinian.
