| A pretty shorthair cat, Chartreux has lived in French | | | | 'smiling' expression. Eyes are rounded and occur in |
| towns and villages for centuries though there is some | | | | shades of gold, orange or copper. Ears are medium in |
| controversy regarding its origin. Some believe it was | | | | size. |
| brought over to France by Carthusian monks while | | | | Chartreuxs are quite rare in the rest of Europe and |
| others trace its ancestry to Syria. Even as it was | | | | North America. Majority remain as prized possessions |
| widespread in its native territories since seventeenth | | | | of French breeders and are thus difficult to obtain. |
| century, Chartreux numbers plummeted during the | | | | Some lines have a genetic defect amongst them that |
| first half of twentieth century owing to the two | | | | leads to dislocation of knee cap in the young, leading |
| World Wars. It was only through concerted efforts | | | | to varying degrees of disability. This trait is being |
| of breeders that the felid was revived and the breed | | | | bred out though and apart from the occasional teeth |
| sustained even though the wild populations were lost | | | | and gum disorders, there are no serious medical |
| by the mid nineteen forties. The breed was brought | | | | concerns with this cat. |
| to United States in early seventies and gained | | | | Quiet and calm by nature, Chartreuxs are easygoing |
| recognition a decade and half later. It is still not | | | | cats. They are not very demanding or vocal. They |
| accepted in United Kingdom. | | | | don't meow, and express themselves with a chirping |
| A large yet gentle cat, Chartreux has a compact build | | | | voice. Some are even mute. As with other natural |
| with a deep chest and strong shoulders. Coat is | | | | felines, Chartreux cats are skillful hunters. They have |
| double layered, dense and water repellent. It exists | | | | a good temperament and don't engage in physical |
| solely in shades of blue and gray. Head is round with | | | | conflicts with other pets. |
| broad cheeks and a narrow muzzle, giving the cat a | | | | |