Chartreux Cat345

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Chartreux Cat

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Michael

Chartreux Cat

Photo of Spenser

copyrightHelmi

Flick

please respect

copyright

All the photos and text on this page are protected by copyright .

Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

Have experiences of this cat breed? Or knowledge that youd like to share? Love to hear

from you.

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Quick Guide to this breed

Introduction

The Chartreux was the chosen cat companion of Charles de Gaulle, a past president of

France and the famous author Collette5. Farmers liked them too6- for their hunting

skills.

This is possibly one of the most natural cat breeds of them all because the origins appear

to go back to the 16th century (see below) and more importantly the objective of modern

breeders is to make sure the breed remains as it has always been. This cat is almost the

same as it was hundreds of years ago4.

I think that Chartreux cat breeders deserve recognition for their foresight and almost

unique actions. The cat fancy usually likes to improve cat breeds through selective

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breeding.

The desire to retain the purity of the breed seems to be a thread running through the

history of this breed. This is a great motivator to continue the good work and is probably

why the current breeders are dedicated to the preservation of this breed in its originalform.

The cats naturalness is one of several notable features of this breed. The others are that

the Chartreux comes in one color or shades of one color, is a large cat, has a small voice

(mute sometimes4), a permanent, apparent smile due to its strong jaws and a body that is

out of proportion to its legs. The body is semi-cobby and quite substantial but the legs

are slim4.

This cat breed is in the mid-range in terms of rarity and therefore not one of the rare catbreeds. Although Gloria Stephens describes it as relatively rare4, which may be true

as at 2007 there were around 20 breeders in the USA6.

This cat is the native working cat of France4 in the same way the American Shorthair is

for the Americans (or the Maine Coon). It is said that the only grooming that the

Chartreux cat needs is a gentle stroking with your hand. How good is that! The coat is

water repellant4.

This is another cat breed (with the Birman) where the first letter of the name of the catis dictated by convention depending on the date of birth. The letters K, Q, W, X, Y, and Z

are ommitted6. A cat born in 1997 will have a name beginning with N (2002 =

T6). Ill

leave you to

check if that

adds up and to

work out the

others!5

Photograph of

Spenser

Helmi Flick

History

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It is said that the name Chartreux is either derived from an association with Carthusian

monks (a Roman Catholic Monastic Order founded in 1084) living in the Chartreuse

Mountains north of the city of Grenoble, France or the Chartreuse liqueur that the monks

are famous for2. But, in 1972, the Prior of the monastery apparently denied any

connection on the basis that the archives contained no records7. The word Chartreuxmeans a Carthusian so you can see the connection.

Another possibility is that the name is derived from a Spanish wool of the same or similar

name from the early 18th century4.

There is an experimental breed called the Benedictine Cat keeping the same monkish

theme. This cat is a long haired Chartreux. Another name for the Chartreux cat is the

Carthusian cat.

After World War II, in order to save the breed, the Chartreux cat was crossed with

Persians or British Shorthairs1 and British Blues5. It is also said that the outcrosses

were with blue longhaired cats. This diluted the pure Chartreux strain.

Apparently Chartreux were shipped back to France from the USA to help preserve the

breed in the country of its origin1.

It is said that many Chartreux were killed for their coats4 reflecting the plight of the

small wildcats which often suffer the same persecution. They were also killed to eat4.

Date Event

13th or 16th

Century

Alleged stocky feral mountain cat (Cat of Syria4) imported on

Dutch ships from Syria during the Crusades are thought to be the

possible origin of this breed1. The Crusades occurred from 1095 to

1291 and during the 16th Century. A stocky cat with a woolly grey

coat and golden eyes was referred to in a 16th century description4.

1558 First written record of a grey cat that looked like this breed. A certainJoachin de Bellay refers to a dead Chartreux (?) in a poem. The poem

refers to the cats rat catching skills.

17th Century The word Chartreux began to be used for this cat breed. By the

1700s the breed was described by the naturalist, Buffon, as the Cat

of France5.

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18th Century

(1723)

Written evidence in a French dictionary of the breed name

Chartreux for a blue cat. Apparently the cats fur was used by

furriers. This seems to mean that there were wild populations and

colonies at this time, up until the end of the 2nd World War.

1747 A cat having the appearance of Chartreux painted by Frenchman.

Painting now at JP Getty Museum USA

1747 1880 The Chartreux Cat referred to in a number of books from France and

Europe.

from late 1920s Cat Shows in Europe exhibit the Chartreux Cat

Circa 1945 Breeders recognize the worth of protecting this breed of cat and

preserving the genetic make up. After WW2, the population of this

cat in the wild (I presume feral) was very low8.

1970 (or 19719) FIFe merge the British Blue and Chartreux during the 1970s. All

European and British Blues described as Chartreux for a time.

Imported into the USA and Canada5

1987 CFA grant full (championship status to this breed)3

Present Full status with all major associations in US and Europe. Note that

the US associations and FiFe dont allow out crossing so its always

Chartreux to Chartreux. The GCCF doesnt recognize this breed.

Appearance/Character

Photo of Amethyst:

Helmi Flick

This is a late maturing

cat5. The Chartreux Cat

is large (quite substantial

in cat fancy parlance

see cat body types) and

muscular except it seems

their legs which are short

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and fine boned (the photographs dont really support this, though). They develop

pronounced jowls as they get older5.

The Chartreux cat has been described as primitive in terms of build5.

On the linked page, I discusscat breed size.

They have the classic blue coat/gold copper coloured eye mix. They are quiet and some

(many?) are apparently totally mute. If not mute their meow is different, being high

pitched or a chirp (chirping is found in other breeds too e.g. Maine Coon). TheBritish

Shorthair has a similarly very quiet voice.

Another particularity is that they are noted to be very good hunters (but not good

fighters5). This may be in part due to their quick reflexes6.

They have all the usual characteristics of a domestic cat if well socialized namely,

affectionate, non-aggressive and playful. They are noted for being reserved, calm and

devoted to their human companions. They are good climbers (legacy of their hunting

skills perhaps). They need plenty of room4.

The breed standard includes these selected features:

1 broad, round head with small to medium sized ears (small by modern cat fancy

standards but normal size in terms of random bred cats).

2 the ears are set close together. Yet bearing in mind that this cat is natural the

position of the ears are normal, I would suggest.

3 the coat should be short and thick. It is a thick double, woolly coat. A sheen is

desirable4.

4 large cat full size is 12-16 lbs

5 smiling expression due to the structure of their heads and muzzle6.

6 rounded head

7 robust medium-long body erect posture8 medium short coat with dense undercoat and protective topcoat

9 color: any shade of blue-gray

10 rounded open expressive eyes

This is a really nice looking cat for me. Reference to a blue coat means blue-grey. The

coat can be any shade of blue-grey from ash coloured to a slate colour3.

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The blue-grey colour is the same for the popular colour of the British Shorthair. Although

the British Shorthair has other coat colours. There has been some overlap with the Brit

SH in the past. Read more here: The health, history and character of the Chartreux cat

Other cat breeds confined to the solid blue coat color are the Korat,Russian BlueandNebelung. They are all grey cat breeds.

Chartreux cat

photo

copyright

Helmi Flick

please respect

copyrightHealth

Patellar

luxation can

occur in this

breed. This is

a condition in

which the

knee capdislocates

from its

normal

position. This

can cause the

cat to be lame.

This in an

inherited

condition and

is therefore controllable by careful breeding check with the breeder.

Luxating patella is considered hereditary if it is present in both legs if it only occurs in

one leg it is likely to be caused by something else, like an injury..Amanda Bright

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Reported in some: close set incisor teeth (this report probably comes from a cat breeder)

and possible Gingivitis (this though is a potential for all domestic cats and should be

watched for)1.

Despite these relatively minor health issues this is a sturdy cat which supports theadmirable hunting skills. I expand on health issueson this page.

Chartreux

kittens photo

Helmi Flick

Chartreux cats photo Helmi Flick

1

Id like to hear from you on the Chartreux cat. Please leave a comment.

***Please scroll down to see submissions***

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page

I think I may have rescued a beautiful Chartreux About 5 years ago I decided my

domestic shorthair, a black cat named Mr.BoJangles needed a cat-companion. He seemed

bored all the time, didnt want to

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Chartreux Health Issues Gus is very devoted and likes to be within a few feet of you at

all times. For a cat who hates to be picked up or sit on your lap and meows his discontent,

Probably not a Chartreux My little Widget was the spawn of a feral cat that aneighbor was caring for, and almost certainly has no breeding whatsoever, but I

couldnt help being

I love Jassman more that anything in the whole world! ! found my cat 7 years ago when

I was five. It was under our mobile home. She had one brother. He was white and a sister

she was white and the mom was

Are these three cats a Chartreux and Egyptian Maus? This is one of my cats his name is

Grey Brat and I think that maybe he is a Chartreux cat. Also I have noticed that his tailhas an odd and faint stripe

Quite perplexed regarding my Rockie kittenhelp? I have received a new kitten

from my brother for my daughter. The kitten is gorgeous! She has gray colored shorter

hair with only a small white strip on

Pittsburgh Chartreux Mourner Vladimir, a 6 year old Chartreux male, died a couple

days ago. I share this because when his condition deteriorated to concerning levels, it was

too late.

Higgins, My Loving Companion I adopted Higgins when he was perhaps four 4 yrs. He

is now 11. Within one month he became ill and I found out he had megacolon.

I gave him daily

Sammy the Chartreux Cat My friend Steve had a grey cat named Sammy who was the

third generation of cats from a female that Steve also owned.

Im not particularly a cat person

Nippers the Chirpping Chartreux Four years ago my daughter brought home a kitten

that was dropped of at a local horse barn.

She was a beautiful blue gray all over. We named her

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My Chartreux Roommate & BFF Meet my best friend and roommate, Sage. Sage is

almost 7 years old and is at her summer weight of 16lbs. Like most women, she packs

on holiday weight

Is My Cat a Chartreux? Hello there, I wonder if you can help me as my friend boughtme this cat (see photo up loaded) and it looks like a Chartreux Cat could you please let

me

Possibly found a Chartreux in our line of strays We have a lot of stray cats or

more like, we found a stray cat (tortoiseshell), and she had many kittens and made herself

an extensive family. Weve

My Life with a Chartreux Cat When I was a little girl before, I turned three, I was at my

grandmas house. When we came inside to get refreshments I saw a little pink box and itsaid

Chartreux owner I have 2 Chartreux cats, a male and a female. After purchasing the

first one from a breeder in my state we loved him so much that we purchased a female

Jerry the Cozy Chartreux Sleeps Like a Turkey! Jerry was adopted last thanksgiving,

with his little sister, when their Mother was hit by a car. We estimated their age at about

4.5 weeks and their BDAy

Chartreux Shaking Steven I got Stevie, who is now 3-4 years old, from the RSPCA

(Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals a big UK animal charity). The

first time

THOMSON THE LUCKIEST CHARTREUX CAT I got my cat, Thomson, from a

rescue centre 2 years ago. He was 9 years old at the time and was blind in his left eye and

also had a hip replacement!! Why

My Chartreux Cat Sterling Silver I adopted little Sterling from the Humane Society inPhoenix, AZ. He was 8 months old at the time and had just come from a foster home the

day I adopted

Health History and Character of the Chartreux Cat There are some interesting aspects of

the health, history and character of the Chartreux cat. On the main page I mentioned that

this cat breed can suffer

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Breeders

These are taken from independent websites listed in the first 3 pages of a Google search.

Most of the Chartreux Cat breeders are listed in directories.

Chanson Bleu Chartreux

The first listed and a nice site. Open and inviting with a phone number and an indication

of the location plus pictures all on the home page. This site has the most comprehensive

study on the history of the breed as well. Nice one.

This is the only independent site listed in the first 3 pages (as at 2008). I would start here

other than the major associations.

Chartreux cat photo

Helmi Flick

Sources other than below:

1. Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats edited by Ross D CLark

DVM

2. Cats by Roger Caras 1985 page 108

3. Cat Fanciers Association Breed Profile

4. Legacy of the Cat by Gloria Stephens and Tetsu

5. The Encyclopedia of the Cat by Dr Bruce Fogle

6. Wikipedia authors

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7. The Chartreux Cat by Simonnet, Jean (1990). Translated by Jerome M. Auerbach.

Paris: Synchro Company. ISBN 978-2-9506009-0-5.

8. Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds byHelgren, J. Anne (1997). Barrons Educational Series.

ISBN 978-0764150678.

9. The Cornell Book of Cats: A Comprehensive and Authoritative Medical Reference for

Every Cat and Kitten Siegal, Mordecai (1997). The breeds. Chapter 2 in Second

edition. Edited by Mordecai Siegal. Villard: New York. ISBN 978-0-679-44953-9.

Sources:

11 Cat fanciers

12 Wikipedia13 Online dictionaries

14 Cat breeders

15 Chanson Blue Chartreux

From Chartreux Cat to Home page

Health History and Character of the Chartreux Cat

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Michael

by Michael

(London, UK)

Chartreux cat photo copyright Helmi Flick

please respect copyright.

There are some interesting aspects of the health,

history and character of the Chartreux cat. On

the main page I mentioned that this cat breedcan suffer from patellar luxation. This can be

found in tandem with hip dysplasia. Not only

can this condition cause lameness it can make

the cat reluctant to jump. The limb can be

locked and the cat might try and pop the

kneecap back into place. Hip dysplasia is found

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occasionally in the Chartreux cat. The symptoms are an abnormal walk together with

intermittent lameness and a reluctance to jump. The disease can degenerate to severe joint

disease. Sometimes the disease only shows up later in life. Surgery may be required in

cats that are consistently lame.

Behavioral Traits History Registration

As mentioned this cat is quiet with a silent of very soft meow. This is very similar to the

British Shorthair. Indeed the blue (gray) British Shorthair could be mistaken for this

breed. This notable similarity has resulted in some confusion. Firstly it seems that some

authors have claimed that it is identical to the British Shorthair. Although similar it is not

the same cat. The pedigrees are distinct. Also on continental Europe some breeders refer

to the Chartreux as the British Blue; an unwelcome confusion.

The similarity in temperament and appearance has also resulted in a merging of the two

breeds by FiFe, the European cat registry, in 1970. The merged cat breed was called the

Chartreux but was a blue British Shorthair in breed standard. The decision was reversed 7

years later. Sadly, the legacy of this blip in decision making can still be seen with some

breeders and cat clubs continuing to use the name Chartreux for gray Brit SH cats and

gray European SH cats. Accordingly, when buying a Chartreux on the continent caution

needs to be exercised as the cat could be a blue Brit SH or cross breed instead.

Care and Grooming

Dr Clark (Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats), says that people

who keep this cat companion should not brush the cats double coat but stroke the cat and

finish with a chamois. I have never heard that before. However, the

website:http://fanciers.com, says that the coat does not require much maintenance but

during the molting season the dead hair should be brushed out. The coat is dense and

water proof so bathing the cat has its complications.

As to diet it seems that this cat prefers light non-rich food as they sometimes havesensitive stomachs. That said, owners will need to provide a diet sufficiently nutritious to

maintain muscle mass in a not insubstantial cat.

It would seem that the health history and character of the Chartreux Cat are somewhat

intertwined with the British Shorthair cat.

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From Health History and Character of the Chartreux Cat to Chartreux Cat

The Chartreux Cat

-CatStats-

Chartreux

size large weight 15lbs

vocal? not very active? average

coat plush family? yes

shed high children? yes

colors blue grey with silver

The Chartreux cat is a veryold breed originating in

France in the middle ages.

They are believed to have

been close companions of themonks of the Grand

Chartreuse monastery in the

French Alps. The monks maintain an order of silence and, interestingly, the Chartreux isone of the quieter cat breeds with some individuals never meowing at all, just purring.

These cats can be on the large side and take several years to mature. They are full-bodied

and heavy boned with a dense and woolly coat of gorgeous blue fur. The head is broader

than it is deep creating a cherubic expression. The eyes are gold or orange.

All domestic cat breeds were developed with a certain look and personality in mind.But naturally, breed descriptions are general and will not apply to all individuals.

Learn about your potential new best friend and research breeders thoroughly!

Cool Cat Facts...

The top coat of the Chartreuxcat has a unique,

woolly texture which, combinedwith the dense, plush undercoat

creates a nearly waterproof cat!

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Is A Chartreux Cat Right For You?

The Chartreux cat is recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), the world's

largest cat organization. It is a somewhat rare pure-bred or "pedigreed" domestic catbreed. These cats are refined and well-mannered but do have some endearing, dog-like

qualities like enjoying playing fetch and coming running at the call of their name.

Grooming is not necessary but the double coat may require some brushing to controlstray hairs. These are large-sized cats that have few breed-related health issues, although

pattelar luxation occurs infrequently. Inquire on this point with your breeder. Because it is

relatively active and enjoys interaction, the Chartreux is a nice family cat that does wellwith considerate children and forms strong bonds, but does not impose itself and can be

content with less attention.

Chartreux Cat Breed Standards

Head Shape: The head is large and broad, more wedge-shaped than round. The jaw ispowerful and well developed with full cheeks, but muzzle is small in comparison to head

size, without being pinched or snubbed. Ears are somewhat small with rounded tips and

furnishings inside. Eyes are large and round with great expression and should always be

in the yellow, gold, or copper range. Deep copper color is desireable.Body and Tail: The body is large and full with a quality of mass. Full, muscular shoulders

and hips. Short, strong, well-ruffed neck. The legs are short for the body and moderately

boned with small round feet. Tail is medium size and tapered.Coat: The coat should be plush and very dense, short to medium in length.

Pattern: The color is always solid blue with silver highlights. Some kittens and young

adults have tail rings and faint striping, but this should fade by two years leaving a clearsolid shade of blue over the entire body without markings or excessive shading.

Overall Appearance: This should be a large, full-bodied cat with smaller feet and limbs,

clear, beautiful color and a bright, handsome, and expressive face. Can't be confused with

theRussian Blue cat when seen in the flesh, quite a different cat both inside and out.Quite, affectionate, and easy to handle despite imposing size.

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Inside Cat or Outside Cat?

Wondering if you should allow your cat to go outside unsupervised? Well there are

definitely some pure breeds that should never be outside cats. Hairless breeds like the

Sphynx are extremely vulnerable and should always be supervised outdoors. Docilebreeds like the Burmese may not be able to defend themselves. All cats allowed outdoors

are exposed to diseases and parasites that they would not otherwise encounter. Fred

Flintstone put his saber-tooth out every night, but the cat jumped right back in the

window - and he was a saber-tooth! Still, most of us feel a little envy when we see ourdomestic companion out on some high perch, sniffing the breeze of liberty, and there is

no doubt that cats love their freedom. So what do YOU think ....Inside Cat or OutsideCat? Comment Here...