large range. While Chausie breeders try to avoid producing the very reddish brown background color seen in the Abyssinian breed, they do produce everything else in the range. Background color may be reddish gold, it may be a light golden brown, warm beige, cold beige, and even a very cool light gray with just a hint of brown in it. The latter is a very wild looking background color. Random polygenes influence the background color. Every time a black ticked tabby kitten is born, breeders start guessing what the background color will be, but it cannot be known for certain until the cat ages. Behavior Because breeders outcrossed the foundation jungle cats to mostly intelligent, outgoing breeds such as the Abyssinian and Oriental Shorthair, Chausies are intelligent, active, athletic cats. They are often very "busy" as kittens. As adults, they are quieter, but they still retain a playfulness and lifelong curiosity. Chausies do not like to be alone; they need to have other cats as companions or have human company most of the time. Chausies get along well with dogs, too, and will do fine if raised with a canine in the house. Additionally, Chausies form deep bonds with people. They are loyal, and may have difficulty adjusting if re-homed as adults. As with all non-domestic hybrid source breeds, some Chausies may inherit intestinal tracts similar to that of the non-domestic ancestors. The intestinal tract may be a little shorter than that of the traditional over elongateded domestic cat's. A shorter intestinal tract is known to be incapable of processing ingredients derived from plants. That would include any kind of cereals, as well as vegetables, herbs, and spices. Those ingredients will serve as triggers for chronic intestinal inflammation and eventually lead to chronic inflammatory bowel disease that is perpetuated by multiple allergies to low quality, incomplete proteins in commercial cat food. Regardless of the cause, Chausies do seem somewhat prone to developing food allergies. To prevent this, breeders advise Chausie owners to feed only very high quality cat foods, containing as little of plant-derived ingredients as possible, or a homemade diet. If homemade diets are fed, it should be with the guidance of someone experienced in preparing them, because meat by itself does not contain all the nutrients that Chausies require. See also Bengal cat Savannah cat Serengeti cat References Notes Bird, C. "The Chausie: The Cat That Came Up