A Chausie (Jungle Curl, Stone Cougar, Mountain Cougar) is a cat breed of the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the Jungle Cat (Felis chaus). Generations are identified by F1, F2 etc, with F1 being the offspring of the original cat and jungle cat mating. Males in the F1 to F3 generations are usually sterile; however, some F4 males may be fertile. The domestic cat breed most widely used for Chausies is the Abyssinian, because they have the same look and active habits as a Jungle Cat, but are very much smaller. A Chausie, due to the various sizes of the parents, can weigh between 15 and 30 pounds (when full grown, the males are larger than the females). They were first bred in the late '60s or '70s to provide a safer alternative to keeping full jungle cats as pets. The breed was granted registration status with TICA in March 1995. In February 2001, the breed's status was changed to allow only animals four generations removed (F4) from the wild cat into show halls. It was changed to Advanced New Breed (ANB) status as of May 2003.
Chausie males typically weigh about 25 pounds, while females tend to be smaller. Individuals considering keeping Chausies should be aware of the cats' much larger requirement for space and activity. They are very loyal to their family & like other pets. Digestive tract problems have been occasionally associated with this breed; some cats may be gluten-intolerant, and have trouble digesting commercial cat food which contains wheat or other gluten grains. Similar to other large cats, Chausies can take up to 2 or 3 years to reach full size. Chausies are known for their speed and nearly six foot vertical leap.
