The Chartreux is a shorthaired blue cat similar to the British Blue, although some maintain that it is different. The breed was said to have developed in France in the Carthusian monastery of the monks who made the liqueur Chartreuse. Apparently the monks originally brought the cats from South Africa.
Wherever it came from, the Chartreux has a long history in France and some claim to fame. The French author Colette (1873 1954), who was a great lover of cats and kept many Persians throughout her life, nevertheless chose a Chartreux as her last companion, and it was with her when she died. The French poet Joachim du Bellay (1522-60) is reputed to have been very fond of a blue-grey cat, which could have been a Chartreux .
In its early days, the Chartreux was a larger, more massive cat with a grey-blue coat, but recently, selective breeding has brought the type much closer to the British Blue and now most governing bodies in Europe accept the same standard for both cats.
Wherever it came from, the Chartreux has a long history in France and some claim to fame. The French author Colette (1873 1954), who was a great lover of cats and kept many Persians throughout her life, nevertheless chose a Chartreux as her last companion, and it was with her when she died. The French poet Joachim du Bellay (1522-60) is reputed to have been very fond of a blue-grey cat, which could have been a Chartreux .
In its early days, the Chartreux was a larger, more massive cat with a grey-blue coat, but recently, selective breeding has brought the type much closer to the British Blue and now most governing bodies in Europe accept the same standard for both cats.
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