A sturdy French shorthair that only comes in blue-grey, with a woolly coat, orange eyes, a smile and a soft little voice.
The Chartreux is an old French breed. It comes in just one colour: blue-grey, from pale ash to dark slate. Its coat feels woolly, its eyes are copper to orange, and its full cheeks and narrow muzzle make it look as if it is smiling. It is calm and says little: it would rather chirp than meow. Many Chartreux follow their people around like a little dog.
Loving and loyal, often mostly to one person, without being pushy.
Likes to be near you. Some climb on your lap, but many prefer the spot next to you and dislike being held.
Stays playful as an adult and loves chasing and pouncing games.
Calm most of the day, with short bursts of play.
Very quiet: it chirps and trills more than it meows, and some hardly make a sound.
Clever and a bit like a dog: many learn to fetch, come when called or walk on a harness.
Calm with visitors. If it does not like something, it usually walks away rather than hiss.
Good with children who are gentle with it, but does not like a hectic house.
Usually fine with a calm, friendly dog.
Usually gets on well with other cats.
Copes well with a few hours alone and keeps itself busy.
Happy indoors with places to climb, and enjoys a safe garden or a walk on a harness.
Carthusian monks bred these cats in their monastery, the Grande Chartreuse.
There is no proof of that. The monastery found no cats in its archives. The name more likely comes from a blue-grey Spanish wool, 'pile des Chartreux'.
A Chartreux is just a blue British Shorthair or a Russian Blue.
No, they are three breeds. FIFe did class the Chartreux and the British Blue as one breed from 1970 to 1977, but split them again. A Chartreux is neither cobby nor slender, but in between, on fairly thin legs. It has a narrow, smiling muzzle, a woolly coat and orange eyes; green eyes are a fault in this breed.
A blue 'karthuizer' or 'Kartäuser' offered for sale is a Chartreux.
Often not. Dutch and German sellers long used that name for the blue British Shorthair. The Chartreux is a breed of its own with its own standard.
Blue-grey shorthaired cats with a woolly coat caught mice in France for centuries, long before there were cat shows. In the 1920s two sisters began breeding the blue cats of the island of Belle-Île. After the Second World War only a few were left, and they were crossed with Persians and British Blues. Breeders around Jean Simonnet rebuilt the breed and kept it apart from the British.
The French painter Perronneau paints a lady holding a large blue cat, which is seen as a Chartreux.
Buffon's natural history book names the Chartreux as one of the four cats of France, drawn on a Paris rooftop.
The sisters Christine and Suzanne Léger start breeding the blue cats of Belle-Île.
Their cat Mignonne de Guerveur becomes International Champion in Paris.
Suzanne Léger writes an article with the first breed standard for the Chartreux.
The European federation FIFe recognises the Chartreux.
FIFe puts the Chartreux and the British Blue under one standard.
After protests by breeders, FIFe gives the Chartreux its own standard again.
The American registry CFA gives the Chartreux championship status.
Britain's GCCF fully recognises the Chartreux, with championship status.
Solid and muscular on fairly thin legs: fans call it 'potatoes on toothpicks'. Its blue coat is thick and a little woolly.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Blue(a)Every shade of blue is fine, from pale ash to slate, as long as it is even. FIFe prefers a pale blue-grey; CFA, TICA and GCCF have no preference.
A Chartreux is always blue, in every registry. Any other colour, white spots, stripes or long hair do not belong to the breed. Kittens sometimes show faint 'ghost' stripes; these fade on their own.
Its full cheeks and narrow muzzle make it look as if it is smiling. In France it is called 'the smiling cat of France'.
Many Chartreux chirp and trill instead of meowing, and some barely make a sound.
It is called a 'dog-like' cat: many follow their people everywhere, and some bring toys back.
Fans call it 'potatoes on toothpicks': a round, sturdy body on fairly thin legs.
In France a pedigree cat's name starts with the letter of its birth year. So the name tells you its age.
Usually 12 to 15 years. It is seen as one of the healthiest pedigree breeds; known problems turn up only now and then.
The kneecap slips out of its groove, so the cat skips or holds up a back leg for a moment. Mild cases cause little trouble; in bad ones surgery can help, and it usually works well.
How it is found: The vet feels for it at every check-up. Breeders do not breed from cats of grade 2 or higher.
The heart wall slowly thickens, so the heart pumps less well. It is not common in this breed, but it can be serious.
How it is found: A heart scan for breeding cats from age 2, repeated every 2 years. There is no DNA test.
Both blood types A and B are common in the Chartreux. For the cat itself it makes no difference. But if a type B mother has type A kittens, her first milk can make those kittens ill.
How it is found: A blood type test or DNA test of both parents before mating.
Small cysts grow in the kidneys, so they work less well later in life. In the Chartreux it is very rare.
How it is found: DNA test of breeding cats; Britain's GCCF requires it.
Comb the woolly coat about once a week, more often in spring and autumn when it sheds its undercoat. Baths are rarely needed.
Short games and hunting games every day keep it fit. Some enjoy a walk on a harness.
It gains weight easily, especially after neutering and in middle age. Give measured portions and few treats.
A Chartreux is not hypoallergenic. Its thick coat sheds a lot, and no study shows that it makes fewer allergens.
It likes routine and high places. Give it a sturdy cat tree or a shelf to watch from.
Checked on 21 October 2026
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