The Chausie (Chow-see) is a hybrid breed developed from crosses to the Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), a small Asian wildcat that unlike many wild species is not threatened or endangered, although in portions of its range it is critically low. The Jungle Cat, like many wildcats, easily hybridizes with domestic cats, and although this is typically considered a conservation threat, in the early 1990s, a number of cat breeders decided that this would be a good basis for a new breed. Although the breed's wild parent is most common in India and southeast Asia, breed mythology heavily emphasizes an Egyptian connection and indeed makes the same claim that Egyptian Mau and Abyssinian breeders do: that their cat alone was the one domesticated and worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. Chausie breeders are perhaps most incorrect—F. chaus is not known to have been domesticated, and fossil remains and modern genetic studies suggest the most similar wild species are the European wildcat (Felis sylvestris) and the African wildcat (Felis lybica). Nonetheless, they are an interesting pet for someone well-equipped to care for an athletic, intelligent, high-energy and potentially destructive breed. They are not well-known on the show bench, with only TICA accepting them and a very low number of show breeders working with them, although the early generation hybrid is popular in exotic animal markets.

Type & judging remarks
A large, muscular cat with a distinctly wild look, the Chausie has a rectangular body shape and large, high-set ears. A deep chest is distinctive, with a “cougarish” look to the cat. It is built for running and jumping, and should not be overly heavy.