The Chartreux

Originating from France, the Chartreux is considered by many cat lovers to be a very intelligent, friendly cat in need of harmony.

Learn in the following something about the origin, the elegant look and the wonderful character of the Chartreux. Since the Chartreux is often confused with the British Shorthair, I have compared the two cat breeds once and show the differences between Chartreux and British Shorthair.

Look

Typical of a Chartreux are their strong physique with a distinctive face shape.

Character

The Chartreux is an independent and at the same time affectionate cat.

Chartreux vs. British Blue

There are clear differences between the Chartreux and the British Blue.

History

The origin, history and name of the Chartreux still give rise to much speculation today.

The body

The Chartreux is generally a medium-sized, muscular and strong cat, although there are clear differences between Male cat (tomcat) and cat. At 5.5-8 kg, the tomcat is much larger and heavier than the cat with its comparatively light 3.5-4.5 kg. The tomcats have a much wider chest and the typical wide tomcat cheeks.

The legs are medium-long in proportion to the body with powerful muscles. The pads have a typical blue-gray color.

The head

Seen from the front, the head of the Chartreux has the shape of a trapezoid, broad at the forehead and narrower towards the chin, but not pointed. The medium-sized ears are relatively high on the head.

The eyes

The eyes are large, open and not completely round. The outer edge of the eye is pulled up a little so that the Chartreux has an aroused and lively look. The eye color ranges from yellow to orange, from amber to dark copper.

The tail

The tail is medium-long in its proportion to the body and tapers towards the end.

The nose

The nose is wide and straight and not a snub nose. The nasal mirror shows a typical blue-gray color.

The coat

The Chartreux has retained its typical coat from the time of origin: short, dense and woolly. The undercoat and the topcoat are made up of alternating short and long hairs. The shades of coat color range from shades of blue, from light gray-blue to darker gray-blue.

The character of the Chartreux

The Chartreux is a calm, sociable and uncomplicated cat. They do not meow (or very rarely) and they call our attention very subtly to their needs and wants. But they can adapt well to the respective situations and is therefore a good travel companion. In France they are also called “dog cat” because they can walk on a leash without any problems. But there are also special Chartreux specimens that go for walks with their families without a leash.

As a sociable companion, the Chartreux love to spend a lot of time with conspecifics, other animals or her favorite human being: cuddling, playing or just like that. But they are also friendly to every visitor and greet them.

Regular hunting games are a must, than they turn into wild cats and catch everything: feather fronds, plush mice, table tennis balls or even our fingers and the blanket, if they are allowed to.

But the affectionate Chartreux prefer the cuddling hours together, whether on or under the blanket, at the foot of the bed or snuggled close to you, they need their favorite person and don’t want to be without it. At the same time, they have an independent personality and sometimes have their own mind.

Chartreux/Kartäuser vs. British Shorthair

Chartreux/Kartäuser or British Blue/British Shorthair – four names for two different breeds of cats that are still very confusing; especially because they are still used incorrectly by many breeders and cat clubs today.

The reason for this is the union of the Chartreux (in German “Carthusian”) and the British Shorthair, which took place in the seventies, to form a breed under the name “Chartreux”. (More about the history of the Chartreux)

Especially in German-speaking countries, even after this hybrid breed was separated, the translation “Kartäuser” continued to be used incorrectly for the British Shorthair.

The misuse of the name “Kartäuser” unfortunately still leads many in Chartreux interested person, because at first viw they are all gray cats, but they are very different in physique and character.

Take a look at the differences in the following table or look at an exemplary pedigree comparison between a Chartreux male and a British Shorthair cat.

↔ movable table ↔

Chartreux			British Shorthair
- strong, firm, muscular - broad chest	Body	Body	- squat - muscular - short, strong neck - broad chest
- trapezoidal shape through the jaws - not arched forehead - narrow distance between the ears	Head	Head	- round - massive - wide skull - rounded, arched forehead - slight indentation - clear stop of the nose
- sitting high on the skull (bright impression) - slightly tapering outwards	Ears	Ears	- sitting high on the skull (bright impression) - slightly tapering outwards
- wide - straight - no snub nose	Nose	Nose	- short - wide - slight indentation
- big, open - lively - not too round - the outer edge of the eye is pulled up slightly	Eyes	Eyes	- large - round - wide open - set far apart
- medium length - tapering thinner - the end is rounded in shape	Tail	Tail	- short - thick - slightly rounded at the top

Pedigree comparison

If you want to know exactly whether the chosen cat is a Chartreux or a British Shorthair,
have the pedigree shown and pay attention to the following breed codes:

Chartreux (Kartäuser) = CHA
British Shorthair = BKH, BSH, BRI

Chartreux

British Shorthair

Source: https://www.pawpeds.com/