Fun Chartreux Facts For Kids

If you want one of the quietest and rarest cats, you must learn about the Chartreux cat. The first Chartreux cat was developed in a European country, France, and it is said that the cat was brought to France by the Carthusian monks. The breed now can be found in different parts of the world. Many farmers prefer this breed as the Chartreux are best known as extraordinary hunters.

One of the muscular and large cats, the Chartreux cat is known for its fast reflexes and movements. Apart from this, their orange or copper-colored eyes and silver-gray short hair double coat make the cat more attractive. In a few countries like Russia, a blue gray-colored Chartreux cat can also be found. These cats most of the time remain silent but their smile allures almost every human. Also, these cats are very friendly with other animals and kids. Keep on reading to learn more interesting things about Chartreux.

If you want to know more exciting facts about other animals, check out the Bombay Cat and Florida Panther.

What type of animal is a Chartreux?

The Chartreux is a large-sized and muscular cat that is silver-gray in color. The Chartreux cats are omnivores and are best known as intelligent cats with fast reflexes. The cat originated in France and can easily be found in homes and farms.

What class of animal does a Chartreux belong to?

The Chartreux belongs to the mammal class of animals.

How many Chartreux are there in the world?

The Chartreux is one of the rare cat breeds in the world, the population of the breed decreased in many of the European countries after the first world war, and many of the animals including the Chartreux was almost lost after World War II. However, many attempts were made by the breeders and the Cat Fanciers Association to increase the population of cats, and around the 1970s, the first Chartreux was brought to the United States. Thus, the exact population of the Chartreux cats is not available at the moment but the numbers seem to be rising from the last decade of the 20th century. In 2007, the population of Chartreux cats in North America was around 24.

Where does a Chartreux live?

The Chartreux breeds are founds in many European countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands. A similar cat is also found in countries such as Russia and England and is called Russian blue and British shorthair respectively. Breeders have brought these cats to the United States and many other countries as well.

What is a Chartreux's habitat?

In countries like Syria, the ancestors of Chartreux cats used to live as mountain cats. But the Chartreux cats are primarily kept as domesticated animals and the pet can easily be found in homes and farms.

Who do Chartreux live with?

The Chartreux is one of the cutest pets and generally loves to be in company. They love being around humans, especially children, and other animals.

How long does a Chartreux live?

The average Chartreux lifespan is 12-15 years and a few of the cats can live up to 18-20 years. When we compare it to other breeds, these cats live quite long.

How do they reproduce?

Just like any other cat, the cat breed follows the same process of producing offsprings. The reproduction takes place after the female cat attains maturity. Once they are matured only then they can ovulate or pass an egg. A female cat, also known as queens goes through the heat or estrous cycle after attaining maturing and during this period the female cats express signs of mating behavior. Once the female is bred, the patterns of behavior would become normal as the cat gets pregnant. The pregnancy or gestation period lasts for around two months and normally, a queen litters around three to four kittens. The Chartreux kittens stay with their mother and are also fed by her until the kittens become big enough to take care of themselves.

What is their conservation status?

We know that the cat breed is one of the popular breeds in the world and many organizations have come up to protect and increase Chartreux's population. After World War II, the breed almost disappeared. Many European breeders have made considerable efforts to increase the number of the breed. The Cat Fanciers Association of the United States of America also made determined attempts in the same cause and recognized Chartreux as a pedigreed cat. As of 2007, there were around 20-24 cats of the Chartreux breed in North America.

What do Chartreux look like?

The Chartreux is a muscular and large cat breed, you can see the large and copper-colored eyes and the beautiful gray fur. The image entirely describes the quiet personality of the cat.

How cute are they?

Despite the Chartreux's large and muscular body structure, several other characteristics will make you fall in love with the cat. One of the key Chartreux personality features is its friendly behavior with humans and other animals and they love being around children. Their beautiful copper-colored eyes and graceful smile fascinates everyone. Also, it becomes very delightful to watch their kittens walk.

How do they communicate?

Like any other cat or dog, the Chartreux follows the same patterns of communication and tries to communicate through their body language and different signs and sounds. The prominent means of communication is vocalization, they make sounds of hissing, meowing, and purring to convey what they feel to other cats, animals, and humans. Chartreux generally use 'meow' when they are with humans.

How big is a Chartreux?

The French Chartreux is one of the biggest cat breeds in the world. In terms of weight, the Chartreux is four times the weight of the Singapura Cat and in terms of height, the French breed is twice the height of the Munchkin cat. The body of Chartreux is also bigger than several dogs such as Chihuahua. The cat is twice the weight of this American breed of dog.

How fast can a Chartreux run?

There is no exact information regarding the speed of a Chartreux but this pet is one of the few cats with fast reflexes. The breed is also said to be one of the fastest breeds in the world.

How much does a Chartreux weigh?

The weight of the male and female Chartreux breed varies. The male cat weighs around 10-14 lb (4.5-6.8 kg) whereas the female Chartreux weighs around 6-9 lb (2.7-4 kg). These are muscular domesticated cats and are also heavier than many dog breeds.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The males of this species are known as tomcat or tom and a female cat is known as the queen.

What would you call a baby Chartreux?

We would call a baby Chartreux a kitten.

What do they eat?

The Chartreux breed eats a variety of food and is an omnivore. They eat fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and as they are domesticated animals, humans often provide them cat foods available in markets.

Are they slobbery?

It is extremely rare for a cat to slobber or drool. The Chartreux breed is not at all slobbery when compared to other cats and dogs. To avoid drool, we need to take care of the oral health and hygiene of the pet but when you cuddle your pet, the cat can drool a bit.

Would they make a good pet?

The Chartreux breed is one of the best animals to pet as they are very intelligent and sharp observant. If you want a quiet and friendly pet then this breed would be the best pick. They love being around humans and if properly trained they can also do a few activities like a dog. If you already have a pet and you want a cat who can share a friendly bond with your pet then you must go with this breed and also never make noises, or annoy other animals and humans. Their beautiful fur, copper-colored eyes also attract everyone. The British shorthair also shares the same characteristics. The Chartreux kitten is also a delight in every house. The cat can easily be found in silver-gray and blue-gray variants.

Did you know...

The Chartreux cats are one of the unique animals in the world as their hair is resistant to water.

The Chartreux cats shed once or twice a year.

Getting your own Chartreux can be really expensive and could cause a strain on your pocket. All Chartreux cat breeds are very rare and expensive, be it Russian blue or shorthair. It would cost around $2000-$2500, depending on the breeders, but these rare and cute cats make every penny worth it.

The Chartreux breed has its origin and France and some even also believe that the ancestors of the breed belong to Syria. The Chartreux history is quite interesting, a famous French poet, Joachim du Bellay, made the first mention of the term 'Chartreux' in his poem, 'A Small Kitten's Death.' It is also said the Chartreux was brought to France by the Carthusian monks.

Characteristics and health issues

You need to keep in mind several things before thinking to pet this beautiful cat. When it comes to feeding, people generally avoid important things which later affect the pet. Be it oral health, shedding, proper diet, you need to take care of every single thing. Most Chartreux have a sensitive stomach, so it becomes very important to feed a proper meal with required nutrients as many of these cats become obese are also very prone to kidney complications. You must need to take care of shedding as they shed their undercoat a few times a year. To avoid drool, you must ensure the proper oral hygiene of the pet.

How to pronounce Chartreux

The name becomes quite hard for the non-French-speaking population but the best way to pronounce the word is to break the name into two words and pronounce it like 'Shar-Troe.'

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including Ragdoll, or Balinese cat.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Chartreux coloring pages.