Chartreux
The chartreux is a French breed of blue cat with a long, partly legendary history — the story linking it to Carthusian monks is charming and unproven.
What is documented is that French breeders rebuilt it after the Second World War, when the population had almost gone.
It is a sturdy, broad-shouldered cat on relatively fine legs, with a dense woolly blue-grey double coat and copper to gold eyes. The expression, created by the tapered head and full cheeks, gives it a permanent faint smile. Chartreux are notably quiet — many barely vocalise at all — observant, and quietly devoted to one or two people.
- Origin
- France
- Size
- 3–7 kg; males much larger
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
- Coat
- Dense, woolly and water-resistant, always blue
- Temperament
- Quiet, observant, gently affectionate, undemanding
- Grooming
- Twice weekly; comb, do not brush
3 chartreux photos, newest first
Living with a chartreux
The coat is woolly and breaks easily, so use a comb rather than a slicker and work through it twice a week, daily during the heavy spring moult.
They are slow to mature, taking two to three years, and stay quiet throughout — an owner wanting a talkative cat should look elsewhere.
The breed is generally robust. Watch for luxating patellae, which occurs in some lines, and for polycystic kidney disease. As with any heavy-bodied quiet cat, weight creeps up without anyone noticing.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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