Cats of the Chartreuse breed: description, standards, character, content features

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Cats of the Chartreuse breed are aristocratic animals, distinguished by their elegance and restraint, excellent manners and extraordinary delicacy, but at the same time they are unsurpassed hunters-mousecatchers. They are quiet, kind, docile and incredibly loyal to their owners. Ideal companions for singles and the elderly.

Versions about the origin

The origin of Chartreuse cats has not yet been thoroughly studied. There are many legends about this, one of which says that they came to France thanks to the Syrian Carthusian monks, who named these animals in honor of the holy monastery of Grande Chartreuse. However, this version, however, like the others, is not documented.

Some scientists tend to believe that the Cartesian gray cat originally lived exclusively in the dwellings of the poor. It is assumed that the common people treated these animals mercilessly, eating their meat, and also renting their beautiful fluffy fur to the furriers. Othersresearchers argue that the Chartreuse lived only in the homes of noble families, which is why they are famous for their aristocratic manners and extreme restraint.

Modern history

After World War I, felinologists seriously engaged in the restoration and breeding of this breed. Its gene pool began to replenish only those representatives who ideally matched the already existing standards. For the first time this breed was presented to the public in 1928 at one of the cat shows.

World War II threatened the very existence of the Chartreuse breed. There were extremely few cats left, and they could only be purchased from a few breeders. Unfortunately, this situation persists to this day, since it is quite difficult to find a truly thoroughbred kitten. In the 70s of the last century, several chartreuse were exported to the United States. A few years later, this breed was officially recognized by the famous American CFA Association. However, the British organization GCCF still refuses to register her.

British Shorthair or Chartreuse?

It must be said right away that these are two different breeds. So it was until 1970, until the well-known organization FIFe combined them into one. From that moment, representatives of the two breeds began to cross with each other, recognizing their offspring, which were, in fact, hybrids, real Chartreuse.

Seven years later, they decided to correct this mistake and divided them again, but some clubs still consider three types of cats to be Chartreuse: Europeanblue shorthair, British and Carthusian. This is still used by unscrupulous breeders. And taking into account the fact that there is very little information about the Chartreuse, instead of representatives of a small breed, they offer to purchase the most common British cats around the world. Therefore, you need to be careful not to confuse them.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the Chartreuse cat, it is necessary to say a few words about how it differs from the British. First of all, it is the structure of the head and body. Also, differences are observed in the genotype itself and in the character of these animals.

Appearance and standards

Description of the Chartreuse cat breed, let's start with the head. Its shape resembles an inverted trapezoid. If the muzzle is extended, this is considered a disqualification fault. The nose is straight and wide. It is very important that his earlobe be gray, since pink or black means the presence of other undesirable impurities in the genus. The ears are medium in size, set high and slightly tilted forward, the tips are rounded. The neck is short, strong, flowing smoothly into massive shoulders.

Now regarding eye color. They should be round and large, as well as planted close to each other. In kittens in the first month of their life, the irises of the eyes may be painted in a gray-blue hue. However, you should not worry about this, because as the pet grows up, his eyes will begin to acquire exactly the color that is provided for by the chartreuse breed standards. In a cat, they will turn yellow, dark orange or copper.

These animalsthey are distinguished by a strong physique and well-developed muscles. Their parameters are considered average, since the height at the withers does not exceed 30 cm. Their paws are straight and rounded, the hind legs are always more massive than the front ones. The pads located on the fingers of cats should be painted exclusively in the tone of the coat. The tail is of medium length, rounded at the tip.

It is interesting that the Chartreuse cat continues to grow for 5 years, and the kitty is finally formed by the age of three. The weight of the male ranges from 6 to 7 kg, while the female does not exceed 5 kg.

Coat and color

The Chartreuse coat is extremely soft and thick. It consists of two layers. The upper one is soft and silky, it can be either short or semi-long. The undercoat is a resilient, powerful and water-repellent undercoat. Males over two years of age have characteristic folds of wool on their necks, similar to those of a sheep.

Its shade can vary from light gray to dark gray. The first one is, of course, preferable. The coat color should be solid, without any transitions to dark or light shades. Such animals are usually culled, as they have clear signs of a non-purebred breed. Interestingly, the tips of the hairs of these cats can be cast in silver. This suggests that this is a purebred Chartreuse.

Don't be discouraged if your little pet has tabby markings on their fur, as they will start to disappear gradually over the course of a few months and by the age of 1 year.there will be no trace of them.

Character

The Chartreuse cat is not as active as other breeds, but despite this, she is strong and always self-confident. He spends a lot of time half asleep, comfortably sitting in an armchair or on a sofa. She is accommodating, calm and will not constantly annoy her owners, demanding increased attention to herself. Some of the Chartreuse are attached to only one family member, while others love all household members. But in the favorite case, they will not bypass anyone with their attention. Despite the great attachment to the owners, the animals, staying at home alone, do not experience feelings of loneliness or longing.

Most often Chartreuse find a common language with children, but their behavior is not always clear. For example, some cats will tolerate all childish antics, while others may scratch and even bite. Therefore, it is necessary to explain to children that animals must be treated with care, love and respect.

Chartreuse cats are silent and reserved even when offended or angry. In extreme cases, you can hear a barely audible meow from them. They are non-confrontational and in difficult situations will try not to participate by stepping aside. But this is not because they are afraid, just Chartreuse are very friendly and not at all aggressive. However, at the same time, they are excellent hunters, able to sit in ambush for a long time, not moving and tracking down their prey. Seeing her, they attack the victim with lightning speed. Therefore, the Chartreuse are considered almost the best mousetraps.

Bathing and brushing

Water procedures for these animals should be arranged only as the wool gets dirty, besides, this process is not so simple. As mentioned above, the hairline of the Chartreuse is very thick, and even with a water-repellent undercoat. Therefore, even completely wet the animal's coat becomes a problem. This is done with a special shampoo, but these actions will require a lot of time, as well as a lot of effort.

Since the Chartreuse has mostly short hair, the cat can successfully handle its care by itself. However, it is recommended to periodically help her in this by gently combing her. Representatives of this breed molt twice a year. During this period, it is necessary to comb it regularly to remove all dead hair, otherwise it can be seen everywhere - on clothes, bedspreads and upholstered furniture.

Care

It can be said that the gray cat Chartreuse is unpretentious. However, she, like a real aristocrat, loves cleanliness. Therefore, her bowl and tray should always be thoroughly washed. We should not forget about periodic visits to the veterinarian for both routine examinations and vaccinations.

Many Chartreuse have problems with their teeth. They have to remove small incisors so that the dairy ones give way to permanent ones. Sometimes they may have a disease such as gingivitis. It can be provoked by plaque that forms on the teeth. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor the oral cavity of your pet and, if necessary, remove tartar. For thisit is enough to visit the dentist every year.

Keeping a Chartreuse cat involves mandatory outdoor walks. This will only benefit her, as she will be able to hunt and lose excess fat, if any.

What to feed

The Chartreuse cat is picky about food. She is allowed to eat anything that will be at least slightly useful for her. There are no problems with ready-made feeds, since they can be purchased at almost any supermarket, the main thing is to choose the right ones for this particular breed. As for natural products, the Chartreuse daily diet should include various fermented milk products, poultry meat, frozen beef and a boiled egg. In addition, they should be given fish, but no more than twice a week.

For Chartreuse, there is a partial or complete ban on certain products. These include s alted fish, pork (too fatty meat is poorly digested), as well as feed and other foods that contain a large amount of carbohydrates. All of the above foods can cause obesity in some individuals.

The special coat of these French cats is directly related to their diet. They are very clean, so they lick almost constantly. As a result of this, whole balls of wool accumulate in the stomach. Either special food designed to cleanse the body, or germinated grass will help bring them out.

Succession

Due to good immunity, the Chartreuse have truly excellent he alth. However, they haveone very serious hereditary disease is a dislocation of the patella. It is characterized by weakness of the hind legs and lameness. Such animals are culled by breeders and are never used in breeding work.

Where to buy

Real Chartreuse kittens are very rare both in Russia and all countries of the former USSR. Therefore, it is quite difficult to acquire them. The main suppliers of Chartreuse are catteries located either in France or in the United States.

It is worth noting that the breeding representatives of this breed cannot be exported outside these two countries. This can mean only one thing - that neither in Russia nor in the territory of other states, the sale of such chartreuse is generally impossible. But sterilized animals can be exported abroad, but they can enter our country only from the United States. Considering such a long transportation and execution of official documents, the price of such an animal will be very high - in the range of 900-1200 euros.