The Chartreux is believed to be a natural breed, one that originated in France and has been a part of the French countryside and French towns for centuries. Breeders of this cat take great exception to its being lumped with other breeds or being called man-made or being misidentified. The last-named case occurs most often with other solid-colored shorthaired cats, but the Chartreux is a breed unto itself. They are totally natural and totally French.
Some believe that the name came from the religious order of the Carthusian monks. These monks were supposed to have brought the cat from the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th century to their mother house, "Le Grand Chartreux." The cats lived with the monks, and thus some say that the monks named them after their order. The cats may well have lived with the monks, as they did with many other groups and individuals, but there is no evidence that the monks named them.
This breed is energetic and playful but of a very placid temperament for a cat. the voice is mostly quiet and seldom heard. Chartruex prefer dogs to cats and act more like dogs than cats. They love to exercise in spurts, galloping around for a short period and then they rest for the day. They behave well and discipline easily. They are not timid and may defend their owners.
CHARTREUX
