Videos Chartreux Breed Information
Country of origin -
France
Breed standards -
AACE CFA(*) ACFA TICA(*) CCA ACF(*) FIFe(*)
The Chartreux is an internationally recognized
breed of domestic cat from France. There is a
legend that the Chartreux are descended from cats brought to France
by Carthusian monks to live in the
order's head monastery, the Grande Chartreuse, located in the
Chartreuse Mountains north
of the city of Grenoble (Siegal 1997:27). But in 1972, the Prior of the Grande Chartreuse denied that the
monastery's archives held any records of the monks' use of
any breed of cat resembling the Chartreux (Simonnet 1990:36-37). Legend also has it that
the Chartreux's ancestors were feral mountain cats from what is
now Syria, brought back to France by
returning Crusaders in the 13th century,
many of whom entered the Carthusian monastic order. The first
documented mention of the breed was by the French naturalist
Buffon
in the 17th century. The breed was greatly diminished during the
first World War and wild populations
were not seen after World War Two. A concerted effort by European
breeders kept the breed from extinction. The first Chartreux were
brought to the U.S. in 1971 by
Helen and John Gammon of La Jolla, California. There are fewer than
two dozen active Chartreux breeders in North America as of
2007.
Physically, the Chartreux is large and muscular, with short
fine-boned limbs, big paws, and very fast reflexes. They have been
described as "potatoes on toothpicks". They are known for
their blue (grey) water-resistant
short hair double-coats and gold- or copper-colored eyes. Chartreux
cats are also known for their "smile"; due to the
structure of their heads and their long, tapered muzzle, they often
appear to be smiling. Chartreux are exceptional hunters and were
highly prized by farmers. Patellar
luxation is a common weakness in the breed which responsible
breeders screen for.
Chartreux cats tend to be quiet, rarely making noises such as
mewing or crying, and some are mute. They are quite observant and
intelligent, with some Chartreux learning to operate radio on/off
buttons and to open screen door latches. They take about two years
to reach adulthood. Chartreux cats are playful cats well into their
adult years; some can be taught to fetch small objects in the same
manner as a dog. Chartreux are good with children and other
animals. They are non-aggressive and affectionate, good travelers,
and generally very healthy. Chartreux tend to bond with one person
in their household, preferring to be in their general vicinity
(often following their person from room to room), though they are
still loving and affectionate to the other members of the
household.
1. Trivia
Historically famous Chartreux owners include the French novelist
Colette and French general/president
Charles de Gaulle.
In 1987, the Cat
Fanciers' Association (CFA) advanced the Chartreux breed to
championship status (Siegal
1997:27).
The first letter of the official name of a Chartreux cat encodes
the year of its birth; all Chartreux born in the same year have
official names beginning with the same letter. The code letters
rotate through the alphabet each year, omitting the letters K, Q,
W, X, Y, and Z. For example, a Chartreux born in 2002 would have an
official name starting with the letter T (Fogle 2001:128).
The mascot of the world's largest jazz festival, The
Montreal International Jazz Festival, is a blue Chartreux
affectionately named 'Ste Cat', after the festival's
hub, 'Sainte Catherine' street in Montreal.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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