Chausie is one of the rarest cat breeds in the world. It’s unlikely that anyone can remain indifferent to this exotic, graceful feline, since it can hardly be called a simple pet. You can be proud of the presence of a Chausie in your home, because kittens of this breed are one of the five most expensive cats in the world. They are endowed with extraordinary genes and appearance.
History of the origin of the breed
Today it is reliably known that representatives of the Chausie breed are descendants of the wild reed cat and the Abyssinian cat. Jungle cats are very unpretentious and are characterized by rapid adaptation to any living conditions. And hybrid kittens born from such an unusual union have a picture-perfect appearance and a number of other features.
1970 was the starting year for this breed, since it was at this time that American tourists saw unusual cats and received a lot of positive emotions. The information reached American felinologists, they became very interested and decided to take a desperate step - to breed cats with a domestic character and wild temperament and appearance. Although it was difficult for them, the result was worth it. The Chausie breed was officially registered in 2003. And these animals are still difficult to breed. In the United States, such cats are popular, but in Russia and Ukraine they are practically impossible to find.
Breeding Features
When planning to start breeding Chausie, you need to be prepared for many difficulties. Firstly, to get kittens with the appearance of a true chausie, you need to organize a mating with a jungle cat, which is not so easy to find. Even the second generation of kittens will already be deprived of their unique appearance, let alone generations F3 and beyond.
Breeding Chausie is very difficult
Secondly, if it is possible to obtain offspring possessing all the characteristics of the breed, then most of the males will be incapable of procreation. It is these features that primarily determine the high price of these cats.
It has already been said above that mating can only be carried out with Abyssinian or ordinary short-haired cats.
If pregnancy does occur, then it passes without any special features and lasts from 63 to 70 days from the moment of conception. Signs of pregnancy are:
- poor appetite that appears within 10 days after mating;
- lethargy;
- increase and intensification of nipple pigmentation;
- enlarged belly at 6 weeks.
Mating is planned no earlier than the end of the first or second estrus in animals at least 1 year old.
Castration and sterilization of Chausie
Often, when purchasing an animal, breeders immediately discuss the issue of procreation with buyers. If a kitten is not purchased for breeding, then the contract usually states that the owners are obliged to castrate or sterilize the animal. Such individuals are cheaper than those for which mating is allowed.
If further procreation is not planned, then the animal must be castrated. Even if a cat is sterile from birth, this will not be an obstacle for him to mark his territory and loudly ask for a girlfriend. Castration is carried out when the baby teeth change, that is, at about 8 months. It is best to sterilize a cat between 9 and 12 months of age.
Experts do not note any peculiarities in carrying out these operations.
Of course, I would like to immediately make a reservation that attributing castration to cats and sterilization to cats is wrong. In fact, these operations can be performed on both sexes. Castration is the procedure for removing the sex glands and organs responsible for procreation (testes in males, ovaries in females). After this, the production of sex hormones stops. Sterilization is an operation to ligate or remove lobes of the seminal ducts in cats and create obstruction of the fallopian tubes in the cat. But there is an unspoken agreement to use these terms to mean the termination of the ability to reproduce in males and females.
Chausie: description of the breed
Chausie's appearance and look are certainly admirable. Cats of this breed, like representatives of any other breed, have their own standards.
The cat's small head is distinguished by angular cheekbones and a strong-willed chin. Erect wide ears with tassels at the tips give the animal, as a beautiful predator, a special charm. The neck is muscular, despite the fact that it is wide and short.
Particularly noteworthy are the eyes of the Chausie, which are slightly slanted and in most cases have an amber tint. But, according to the standard, yellow-greenish and green eye colors are also acceptable.
The body of the Chausie is long and very elegant, with a deep chest, and long, strong large legs. Three quarters of the animal's body length is the tail.
Most representatives of this breed reach large sizes and weigh from 10 to 15 kg. This should be taken into account by people who want to have a chausie at home.
The Chausie's coat, although short, is very thick and ticked. It feels elastic to the touch and looks shiny. It will not be difficult to identify a Chausie by its color, since representatives of the breed have only three color options - two ticked shades (silver and tabby) and pure black. Black tassels on the ears and the tip of the tail are always black, regardless of the color of the cat. On the body of the Chausie, the pattern may be blurry, but on the head, tail and paws, the pattern should not be blurry, as well as on the neck, where it should look like a necklace.
The appearance of a chausie, just like its character, depends, firstly, on the generation, and secondly, on how much blood of a jungle cat flows in the veins of the cat, which is designated by the Latin F. The higher the percentage, the more correct the character of the chausie. .
It looks like this:
F1 – at least 50% of the blood of a jungle cat, or it was the kitten’s father.
F2 – at least 25% wild blood (the jungle cat was the kitten’s progenitor).
F3 – wild blood in the kitten is 12.5%.
F4 – wild blood is 6.25%.
F5 – wild blood makes up 3.12%.
Reviews
The girl gave me a cat for her birthday. As I understand it, she got it from a nursery. Honestly, I've never been interested in cats. But when I took a closer look at the gift, I realized: a little lynx will live in my house. I don’t know why, but the first association was lynx. So I named the cat (it’s a boy) Rys. Rhys fits well into my life. He is very playful and sociable, we quickly found a common language, I feel that he has become attached to me.
I, as an exemplary owner, read a lot of literature about my pet and learned how demanding these cats are when it comes to nutrition. Yes, at first I spent a lot of time with snacks for my Lynx: I looked for friends to ask for advice on what to feed my pet, I re-read all the books about cats in the local library. When Rys's menu was ready, I breathed a sigh of relief. Now all problems are solved.
I work as a programmer, so I spend most of my time at home at the computer, so my pet does not suffer from attention deficit disorder.
I don’t know, but I think that if I had my own company and spent hours in the office, my cat would go crazy from loneliness. I see how important communication is for him. Stepan, 21 years old
Character of Chausie representatives
It can be said about the Chausie that they are capable of becoming the best companions for their owner. And yet, the wild blood they inherited from their dad will affect their character. Although cats are gentle, affectionate and sociable, they often do things that domestic cats are not capable of. Moreover, Chausie cats are much more active than cats of this breed.
They simply adore water and heights, and they love not only to swim in the water, but also to hunt. As for height, they will definitely climb onto the highest cabinets and shelves in the house.
They are also famous for their thriftiness; they take anything they need for themselves and hide it in secluded places. And the owners then periodically come across their pet’s caches around the house.
Chausie likes to learn, so sometimes you need to practice simple tricks with them and, of course, reward them with goodies for their efforts and success. They also really need communication, so much so that they can even make friends with a dog if the owner is not at home.
Looking at the character of these unusual creatures, it becomes obvious that a private house with a large yard, rather than an apartment, is better suited for their life. Living in an apartment, the kitten will play so much as it grows that the owner will begin to worry about the integrity of his property as he grows.
Upbringing
Chausies love to play and are easy to train
They begin raising a kitten immediately after it appears in the apartment. Get him used to the scratching post and litter box. Whenever your pet tries to damage furniture or interior items, explain that this cannot be done, using strict intonation. Chausies have a developed intellect and are able to understand what their owner wants from them. Accustom your pet to a leash from an early age.
Video: Chausie performs tricks
Nutrition
There are many more recommendations on Chausie nutrition. From their wild ancestors they inherited a love for meat and a dislike for grains (they cannot digest them). That is why dry food, even of the highest class, is completely unsuitable for them. But they can eat different types of raw meat: fish, poultry, beef, rabbit, quail and raw quail eggs, and even feed mice and chickens that are a day old. There should be no pork in the diet at all!
The Chausie has a high need for calcium and vitamins, which must be given daily from the time of transition from mother's milk to natural nutrition until the kitten reaches two years of age.
Due to the gluttony of these cats, after each feeding it is better to remove any leftover food from them until the next feeding. Water must always be available to them, but it must certainly be boiled or filtered.
Before the kitten reaches the age of one year, it is recommended to feed it twice a day, and after a year, once is enough. The food allowance is calculated based on the body weight of the Chausie, and should be 5% of their weight. It is useful to go on a hunger strike one day a week to ensure proper functioning of the digestive system and remove harmful substances from the pet’s body.
Diseases and vaccinations
Chausies are distinguished by good health. In addition, standard vaccinations reduce the risk of disease to zero. The only disease they can acquire is obesity. Disturbances in the nutrition system lead to such consequences. Portion feeding will help correct the situation. The amount of food should correspond to the weight of the animal. Timely vaccinations will help strengthen the animal’s immunity, as well as increase the body’s resistance to disease.
The first vaccination is carried out at the age of 8–9 weeks. The kitten is vaccinated against calicivirus, rhinotracheitis and panleukopenia. After 3–4 weeks, a similar vaccination is performed. But an additional rabies vaccination is given. This vaccine is given again when the cat reaches 12 months of age. Subsequently, the animal is vaccinated every year.
Important! 10 days before vaccination, the cat is given the anthelmintic drug Prazicide.
Where to buy and what to look for when choosing a kitten
The cost of a Chausie kitten depends directly on the percentage of jungle cat blood in it. Thus, kittens of the F1 generation are the most beautiful and largest, and therefore cost the most - many thousands of dollars and euros. Kittens of the F5 generation will cost less, but they will also look more like a domestic cat than a wild cat.
It is impossible to buy Chausie kittens from an ad. Their breeding is strictly controlled and is permissible only in nurseries, most of which are located in America and France. The cost of a kitten of even the lowest generation will be from a thousand in European currency.
Having decided to purchase a pet of this breed, having found a suitable nursery and seeing a kitten you like there, you should first evaluate its behavior. Under normal conditions, he should be active, playful and inquisitive. If he sits aloof and passive, this should alert you. The color of the kitten's coat must correspond to the standard, the skin must be clean, without any lesions or dandruff. The muzzle should be angular, the ears should be erect and high, wide at the base. There may or may not be tassels - this condition is not necessary. You can pick up a kitten from the nursery at three or four months of age.
How to choose a kitten
Since Chausie is a very rare breed, the cost of kittens is very high: it can start from 100 thousand rubles. There is no ceiling on the price. There is information on the Internet that very wealthy people paid 1 million rubles for one Chausie kitten.
While preparing this material, I found an advertisement for the sale of a Chausie kitten for 30 thousand rubles. But still, I very much doubt that a kitten of this breed can cost so little. The peculiarities of breeding are unlikely to allow the price to be reduced so much. Most likely, a completely different breed is being passed off as a Chausie.
Buying a Chausie kitten is a very difficult undertaking. Since this breed is very small in number, the nurseries with these beauties can be counted on one hand. Breeding Chausies is very difficult, so buying kittens from private breeders is very risky. It is better to contact trusted nurseries.
It is better to buy a kitten when it reaches three months of age: it is at 3 months that the baby can be painlessly separated from its mother.
Externally, the small chausie has the same characteristic features as adult individuals: color, wedge-shaped muzzle, wide, high-set ears, black tip of the tail. The F1 kitten will be very large, its characteristic features are “deceptive eyes” (characteristic stripes and spots on the back of the ears) and the nature of a predator. The F4 kitten has the personality and size of a domestic cat.
Chausie kittens immediately have the color of an adult animal
When buying a kitten, you need to inspect it:
- The baby's belly should not be bloated;
- skin, ears and eyes must be clean;
- the coat is uniform, without bald spots;
- the kitten should be active and curious.
When purchasing a kitten, breeders must provide the following documents:
- contract of sale;
- kitten's metric or completed pedigree;
- veterinary passport with notes on vaccinations and deworming.
When choosing a pet, you should also decide on its gender. Cats are more active and playful, but at a certain period they begin to mark their territory, which, of course, may not please the owner. Kitties are more affectionate, but several times a year during the period of heat they begin to ask to fulfill their destiny: to become a mother. And since these cats are not at all easy to breed, this fact must be taken into account when purchasing an animal. It is also worth considering that some breeders note this feature in female Chausies: they often mark their territory just like cats.
Basic moments
The special charm of the Chausie lies in the strange combination of the sociability of a domestic cat and the obvious independence of its wild ancestors.
Apparently, the same wild ancestors of the Chausie passed on to her a love of water that is unusual for other cats: for the sake of their own amusement, these cats don’t cost anything to plop into the water collected in the bath for one single purpose - to splash out a myriad of splashes from there.
Chausies get along quite well with other relatives and large dogs, but never with rodents and birds. By the way, these cats often perceive small breeds of dogs as living toys.
Chausie cats are usually loyal to children, but this does not mean that a careless nudge will remain without an “asymmetrical response.”
Thanks to their unusually developed intelligence, Chausies are easy to train – again, for pure pleasure, to fulfill the desire to learn something new.
Chausies are unpretentious, and from this only one thing follows - they are quite suitable as a pet for people with minimal experience in keeping cats, caring for them, or even without such experience at all.
How much does it cost - price per kitten
Chausie kittens are amazingly cute creatures.
Due to the rarity of the breed, kittens are quite expensive - 600 thousand to 1.5 million rubles. (if you buy in Russia). They should be purchased from specialized nurseries. The best age is 3 months.
How to choose a kitten
When choosing a baby, you need to pay attention to:
- Compliance with standard. They especially look at the color. Pedigree representatives do not have white, gray and red colors. The tassels on the ears and tail are only black.
- Kittens should not be aggressive, even towards strangers.
- Accompanying documentation is required.
- The animal is active.
When purchasing such a kitten, you need to understand that you should not expect purebred offspring from it. Therefore, it will not be possible to compensate your costs in full by selling babies.
