July 2025

Continuing our series on the remarkable species of Southeast Asia, we turn our attention to the chaus, also known as the Swamp Cat or Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), a feline closely related to the domestic cat.

This species of small cat (Felinae) from the Feline family (Felidae) ranges from Egypt to Central Asia, passing through the Caucasus region, India and Southeast Asia (Indochina and Sri Lanka), where it is divided into nine sub-species: Felis chaus chaus (Western Marsh Cat), Felis chaus affinis (Indian Marsh Cat), Felis chaus furax, Felis chaus kelaarti, Felis chaus kutas, Felis chaus nilotica, Felis chaus Oxiana, Felis chaus prateri, and Felis chaus fulvidina (Indochinese Swamp Cat) in Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. There is also the Chausie, a hybrid breed of cat originating in the United States, that is the result of a cross between the Felis chaus and a domestic cat.

Despite its name, the Jungle Cat is not only associated with jungles, but also with water and dense vegetation cover, which explains the wide range of its habitat. In desert environments, it is found along riverbeds or in oases; on the Indochinese peninsula, it is traditionally seen in deciduous forests, but also in evergreen forests. In the Himalayas, this cat can climb to 3,300m, and 1,000m in the Caucasus. Overall, it is associated with temperate deciduous and mixed forest habitats, tropical and subtropical dry deciduous forests, tropical rainforests and xeric (arid) deserts and shrublands. It prefers wet habitats with dense vegetation for hiding, particularly reedy marshes, wet swamps, and coastal and riparian environments, as well as grasslands, tall grasses and scrubland. This feline has also adapted well to humans, and it has been spotted in many agricultural and forestry plantations (sugar cane crops, bean fields, and fish ponds) and in old buildings.

Felis chaus is a medium-sized, long-legged cat, and the largest of the existing Felis species. The length of the head and body is generally between 59 and 76 cm. It measures nearly 36 cm at the withers and can weigh from two to 16 kg, depending on its habitat and sex (males are typically heavier than females). The cat’s short-haired coat is often sandy, reddish brown, or grey, with no pattern apart from the clearly visible stripes on the tops of the legs, the tail and sometimes the throat, which are very light in southern regions and darker in northern areas, although melanistic and albino individuals do exist. Its face is long and narrow, with a white muzzle. Its large, pointed ears – 4.5 to 8 cm long and reddish brown on the back – are close together, with a small tuft of black hair nearly 15 mm long emerging from the tips of both ears. The eyes have a yellow iris and an elliptical pupil; white lines are visible around the eye. Dark lines run from the corner of the eyes down the sides of the nose, which has a dark patch. The skull is quite broad in the region of the zygomatic arch, so this cat’s head appears relatively rounder. With its long legs, short tail and tufted ears, the Jungle Cat resembles a small lynx; it is taller and more slender than the domestic cat.

The Jungle Cat is typically diurnal and hunts throughout the day. Mainly carnivorous, they prefer small mammals such as gerbils, hares and rodents, including coypu. It also hunts birds, including ducks and partridges, but also reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and even the young of other mammals (wild pigs) or as large as young gazelles. Like the caracal, the Jungle Cat can make one or two great leaps into the air to catch birds. It is also an efficient climber and a swift animal; one specimen was clocked at 32 km/h. It is an excellent swimmer, moving up to 1.5 km in the water and even diving to catch its prey. The cat has the distinction of being partly omnivorous, as it eats fruit, especially in winter. Its predators include leopards, tigers, bears, crocodiles, dholes, golden jackals, fishing cats, large birds of prey, and snakes.

The cat’s activity tends to diminish during the hot midday hours. It rests in burrows, thickets, and scrub and often sunbathes on winter days. It is estimated that it walks between three and six km at night, although this probably varies depending on the availability of prey. They are generally solitary and only socialize during the mating season, but may also live in family groups, with a male, female and young. The male is very protective of the young, even more so than the female. When faced with a threat, the chaus will vocalise before going on the attack, producing sounds similar to small roars – a behaviour uncommon in other members of the Felis family. Vocalizations include meowing, chirping, purring, growling, gurgling, hissing, and barking.

Jungle Cat kittens

The Jungle Cat and more generally cats have also been the subject of tales and legends. In the 2nd century, Polyaenus tells of a stratagem deployed by the Persian King Cambyses II during the Battle of Pelusium (525 BC). The king is said to have ordered cats and other animals revered by the Egyptians to be placed in front of the Persian front lines. Disconcerted, the Egyptians ceased their defensive operations and allowed the Persians to conquer Pelusium. In ancient Egypt, the cat was highly venerated, considered a sacred creature and often associated with the cat goddess Bastet. They were protected by laws, and their death meant mourning for their owners. Deceased cats were usually mummified, both as an offering to the gods and as a pet buried with its master. They were also prized for their role in hunting rodents and pests, helping to protect crops. In the Middle Ages, from Europe to India via Mesopotamia, the fable of the “cat and the candle” persisted in various guises, highlighting the fact that nature is inexorably stronger than nurture.

On the Indochinese peninsula, the Jungle Cat is characterised by a surprisingly irregular distribution (there are several recorded sightings only in the north and east of Cambodia) and is probably very rare, if not absent, in most or all of the rest of the region. However, a few specimens are likely to be found in deciduous dipterocarp forests with abundant rivers and wetlands in Yok Don National Park, Dak Lak Province in Vietnam, and in the Gia Lai and Kontum regions; in the Xe Pian National Protected Area, in the proposed Dong Khanthung National Protected Area (NPA) and possibly in the Dong Amphan NBCA in Laos; and in the Kulen Promtep, Lumphat and Phnom Prich nature reserves in Cambodia.

LEGEND

- Banner: Jungle Cat. Eric Losh.
- Illustration: Felis Chaus.
- Image: Jungle Cat kittens. Wildlife SOS, Akhas Dolas.