Skookum vs Chausie - Breed Comparison | MyCatBreeds

Skookums are a new cat breed – an experimental and rare hybrid dwarf cat breed, It was developed in the United States in the 1990s.

As a new breed, you’re not going to find too much information on their history, but is was breeder Roy Galusha who started crossing the Munchkin cat with the LaPerm.

Even today, some years later, the Skookum cat is still an experimental cat breed that is considered a rare dwarf breed. It is recognized as an Experimental breed by Independent European Registries as well as the Dwarf Cat Association.

The Afro-Chausie came about from breeding a few individuals from a species of jungle cat which was native to India, Asia and the Middle East. In other words, this is a cross between a wild cat and a domesticated cat.

It was only in 1995 that the Chausie was recognized as a domestic breed, and by the International Cat Association.

The Chausie breed essentially began in the 1990s, when breeders name the breed Chausie and also developed a breeding program. They received registration status in 1995. Chausies are bred in North America and Europe and in 2003 became a new breed in the United States.

The dwarf Skookum only weighs between 2 and 3kg. It is a new cat breed with a curly coat. The coat can be in a range of colors and patterns.

It is a small, lightweight cat with short legs and a broad head and stocky build. It has a muscular build. The eyes are large and walnut- shaped while the ears are large and pointed.

The neck is also thickish. The coat is soft and curly, standing away from the body and spiraling into ringlets. It can feature a number of colors and patterns such as solid, bicolor, and colorpoint. These cats can be long-haired or short-haired.

Temperament:

They are playful cats, full of energy and they love climbing and jumping. They’re intelligent, confident cats and are also loyal and loving towards their human family. They may be active, playful cats, but they still like to settle down into your lap.

The Chausie is a medium to large cat with a long body and long legs. In fact, the hind legs are somewhat longer than their front legs, and they’re able to easily leap into the air and up onto high perches. Some people say these cats look like Pumas.

The adult Afro-Chausie can weigh between 5 to 9kg and they stand in height from 35cm to 45cm and sometimes taller, both male and female.

The ears of the cat are broad and tall and the almond-shaped eyes are a yellow to green shade. The TICA Chausie breed standard says that the cat comes in 3 colors – a black/brown ticked coats, solid black and black grizzled tabby, but in fact, they come in quite a few other colors and patterns too.

Temperament:

Your Afro-Chausie is an intelligent, loyal, social and athletic cat that is also playful. They love their human companions and will form a deep bond with them, making it difficult to rehome him later on.

They don’t like being alone, in fact to such an extent that they will befriend dogs in the home too. This is such an active cat and you can even train him to walk on a leash.

It’s a cat that also loves water and Similar to Bengals and Savannahs, this breed, too, enjoys water. This cat will form deep bonds with owners, hence rehoming has been known to be particularly challenging with this breed

Because the Skookum cat is still in its early stages of development if you want to know precisely what the characteristics of the cat are you would want to look at the Munchkin and the LaPerm cat.

One thing is sure the Skookum cat thrives on the attention of his human family and if you provide him with the love and attention he craves, you can be sure that he will turn out to be the right friend and companion for your family.

The Chausie loves human contact and they love games with their human family.

They’re intelligent and are constantly looking for things to do. They are athletic and have plenty of energy. They’re social, playful and make great playmates for children who have been taught to respect animals.

When you bring an Afro-Chausie into your home, you can expect to have a lot of action and entertainment with this beautiful cat.

Because the Skookum cat is a new, experimental breed, health problems with the cat are not well known. However, every cat can succumb to some of the common cat health issues there are. As a pet owner you want to watch for and recognize signs that your cat’s health is in trouble.

Feline leukemia for instance is a disease that spreads through bodily fluids such as urine, saliva and nose discharge, and saliva. Mother cats can even pass the disease along to her kittens. Feline leukemia can also lead to a host of conditions such as diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, skin problems and eye diseases among others.

Feline panleukopenia is known to most people as feline distemper and it is a very contagious viral disease with kittens being most at risk.

The disease affects a cat's immune system and the cat will likely have diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration, and lethargy. It’s a deadly disease that requires a vaccine to prevent it.

With good health, your Afro Chausie can live to be anything between 12 – 16 years of age. These cats are prone to developing food allergies, and this is why it is important to feed your Chausie high-quality food.

They’ve got fragile digestive systems and many are gluten intolerant.

All kinds of parasites can invade your Afro-Chausie’s body – internally and externally so be sure to have your Chausie checked over for parasites such as tick and fleas, worms and mites.

Check your Chausie for putting on too much weight as these cats have a huge appetite.

You just have to bear in mind that these cats can develop any of the illnesses that other domesticated cats get

Even though the Skookum has curly hair, it’s not difficult to groom him. You want to brush the soft curls gently once a week. Keep it gentle so that you don’t make the curls frizzy.

Use some warm water in a spray bottle with some pet conditioner and spray the curls lightly and use your fingers to liven up the curls.

Cats like to nibble throughout the day and it is better for them to feed like this as opposed to a larger meal morning and night.

However, you will need to know what your cat is eating as you don’t want to overfeed your cat. Obesity comes with a host of health issues. As a carnivore, your cat requires meaty foods so make sure to feed him high-quality cat foods that have meat and protein as the top ingredients.

Your cat must have a constant supply of fresh, cool water.

Provide your cat with a litter box. You will need to clean out the box every day of cat feces as cats don’t like to use a box that is dirty. You get special cat rakes at the vet or the pet shop that makes it easy just to rake up the feces and dispose of them.

Grooming:

With their short coats, they only need to be brushed once a week as they are moderate shedders.

General:

Provide your cat with a quiet place to sleep and which is comfortable and dry.

A cat tree can be useful for allowing your cat to climb and scratch.

Diet:

Chausies are essentially meat-eaters. They don’t want to eat fruit and nuts. One of the Chausie’s ancestors was a wild cat and this is why they don’t eat the same foods as what your dog does.

Every cat thrives on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. A dog’s diet with scraps from the table as well as human food can be fatal for your Chausie if it becomes your cat’s regular food.

He requires a diet of quality meat – beef, chicken, fish and organs – all foods that are easily digestible for your cat. Cats also need taurine from muscle meat such as shellfish and fish.

Always make sure your Chausie has access to a constant supply of fresh, cool water.