Chartreux Breed Information
Learn all about Chartreux cats, read about the Chartreux breed information,
find out about the Chartreux Breed Standard, Chartreux behavior and more.
The Chartreux is a quiet cat, and makes a devoted companion and a good
traveller. They are not known for meowing, but emit a sweet chirrup and are
experts at purring. Chartreux generally accept children, other pets, and
household noises with little fuss. They will even adapt to a harness for getting
exercise outside, as long as they decide where to go!
Very loveable and affectionate, your Chartreux will love jowl scratches, and
will return it with head butting, which is a sign of love. Chartreux owners
moving from room to room in their houses soon get used to seeing a grey shadow
close behind. They are not demanding, but you might feel a pulling on your leg
while seated, indicating that the cat wants to sit on your lap for a while and
get a good petting. All in all, Chartreux make wonderful household companions
and exhibit consistent devotion to their owners.
It's not unusual to find "praying" Chartreux, like that shown in the photo on
the left. Some kittens start this spontaneously when very young; if you see
this, you can encourage the little one by dangling a toy in front of the kitten.
In any case, it seems to be a quite natural behavior for some Chartreux and they
retain this characteristic behavior all their lives, frequently "begging" for
food or affection by this praying attitude.
The Chartreux coat is short to medium in length, and ranges from ash to slate
grey in color. Plush and wooly in texture, it consists of down hairs close to
the skin and longer guard hairs held up by kinkier support hairs. The hair
starts out a light color next to the skin and grows darker farther out; the
silver tips give the cat a lovely iridescent sheen. The degree of wooliness
depends on the age, sex, and habitat of the individual cat. Kittens may show
some barring, or faint stripes, and some rings on the tail, which usually
disappears by about two years of age.
You can see from these two photographs the result of this mixture of hair
types: the characteristic "breaking" or wool-like appearance. The three-year old
female on the left shows this beautiful texture to perfection, as well as the
desirable flat whisker pads. The male on the right shows the heavy coat to be
found on some males as young as three years of age. Your Chartreux will benefit
from (and will absolutely adore) a daily brushing to remove the dead hair as it
sheds, especially as Winter turns to Spring and then Summer. I've found that a
good tool to use in addition to a brush is a roller lint remover!
When you look your Chartreux in the face, you will be first and foremost struck
by the sweet, smiling expression, one of alert intelligence and satisfaction.
The eyes will be from orange to a deep copper color, with a slight upward slant
to the outer edge. The picture on the left shows a 6 month old male with
gorgeous deep copper eyes; that on the right is of a 16 month old female with
beautiful orange eyes. The nose is straight and of medium width. The muzzle is
small and narrow, with no puffiness to the whisker pads. The ears are medium in
height and width, set high on the head and erect.
The cat's head will sit firmly on a short neck directly on a large, muscular,
well-rounded body. The chest will be deep, and the Chartreux will have broad
shoulders. The overall impression is of a large cat supported by relatively
slender legs and smallish, rounded feet. There is a marked difference between
the male and female cats: although the general proportions will be the same,
females range from 8 to 14 pounds (3.5 to 6.4 kg), while males range upwards to
20 pounds (9 kg). Now that's a lot of cat! You will be able to note a heavy,
muscular appearance, and a short neck. In profile, the cat's face will display a
gentle slope to the nose; the ears will be very well proportioned and set high
on a massive head. The standard Chartreux tail is moderate in length, heavy at
the base and oval at the tip.
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