Meet the Chartreux

We Chartreuxs are an old breed and our history is filled with pawsitively fascinating legends. The humans aren’t exactly sure how we came about, but they have come up with some interesting stories. One of the most popular is that my ancestors were bred by the Carthusian monks of France and used as mousers to protect the ingredients that the monks used to make chartreuse (a type of liqueur). The humans who believe this legend also think that the Carthusian monks bred us to be quiet so we wouldn’t interrupt their meditating with our meows! Another legend says that my ancestors were native blue cats of Syria who were brought to France after the Crusades.

The first record of the Chartreux was an 18th century book by French biologist Comte de Buffon, who wrote of us as one of four common cat breeds in Europe. Up until the 20th century we were mostly street cats who hunted vermin. Some humans even used our plush blue coats for pelts! Luckily, in the 1920s two sisters, Christine and Suzanne Leger, discovered a colony of my ancestors living on Belle Île, an island off the coast of France. The sisters fell for our furbulous looks and started a breeding program. We were first exhibited at a Paris cat show in 1931.

Like so many of my fellow European cat breeds, we almost went extinct after World War II. After the war, Chartreux breeders worked hard to keep us alive and bred my remaining ancestors with blue British Shorthairs, Russian Blues, and Persians. We were saved! The first Chartreux came to America in 1970 with two breeders from California, John and Helen Gamon, who worked with European breeders to maintain our bloodline. In 1987, we were officially recognized for championship status by the Cat Fanciers’ Association. Today we are the national cat of France, and even though we remain a rare breed, we are highly prized.