Characteristics of the Chartreux Cat:
the two "Kartäuser"-Breeds
Enthusiasts of Chartreux cats are often faced with the problem that their breed is not properly distinguished from British Shorthair cats in the colour blue (BRIa), though the two breeds have a completly different origin. In contrast to the ancient french Chartreux (CHA) breed, already described in books of the 16th century, the British Shorthair cats have been obtained end of 19th century by crossing European Shorthair cats with Persian cats. The confusion of the two breeds arises from the fact that they were put togther by the FIFé for seven years (1970-1977), since at that time the phenotype of the two breeds were quite close. Though, the separation of Chartreux and British Shorthair blue was adopted about 30 years ago, the confusion still persists. In particular in Germany, where both breeds were called "Kartäuser", which is the direct translation of the french word Chartreux, you will still find breed descriptions like "Kartäuser (BKH)" ignoring the course of history.
Explanation of the Fifé
“The term British short hair blue (Kartäuser) belongs to the past since 1991 finally. All cats bred in former times in Germany under this family tree name are called today British short hair blue to finally distinguish around these from the original Kartäusern (called in France Chartreux).”
| Kartäuser/Chartreux CHA |
Britisch Kurzhaar blau BRIa |
|
| Head/Profil | Skull, not bulging, with a narrow, flat space between the ears, shape of a trapezium | Round and massive with a broad skull |
| Nose | Broad and straight, not snubbed | Short, broad and with a slight stop |
| Ears | Medium in size, set high on the head giving the cat an alert look | Small and slightly rounded at the tips, set wide apart |
| Distance between them briefly and flat | ||
| Schnauze | narrowly, not too long | broadly, briefly |
| Body | Solid, firm, muscular. Broad, well developed chest. | Muscular, cobby. Broad chest, shoulders and back strong and solid |
| Legs | Of medium length in proportion to the body, strong muscles | Short and strong |
| Eyes | Large and open, not too rounded, the outer corner being slightly turned upwards | Large, round, wide opened, set wide apart |
| Eye Colour | From deep yellow to deep copper | Copper or deep orange |
| Coat | Glossy, dense, slightly woolly at the base, luxurious in growth. Double coat, making the hair stand out. | Short and dense, not lying flat and with a good undercoat. Texture should be crisp to touch. |
| Colour | All shades of blue are permissible, pale blue-grey is preferred. Uniformity in tone is essential | Pale blue-grey, every hair should be uniform in colour down to the roots |
| Paws | Large, oval | Round and firm |