Cartaeus cat in Wildlife,Pets,Cats,Cat Breeds,Shorthaired Cats

Cartaeus cat

The Chartreux cat is considered a separate breed and has its own standard, but is often incorrectly referred to as the British Shorthair. This is not least due to their origin or the history of this breed.

Origin

There are two versions of the origin of the Carthusian cat, both of which are quite credible and therefore cannot really be refuted. One version says that these beautiful animals were kept and bred by the so-called Carthusian monks as early as the 16th century. The second version, on the other hand, attributes the cat's name to the quality of its fur. It is said to have been named after a very fine wool, Pile des Chartreux. This version was certainly the decisive factor for the French name of the Chartreux, the French Chartreux.

history

As far as is known and verifiable, the Carthusian cat was very important for the fur industry up until the 19th century. However, according to Linne's natural history (Houttuyn edition, 1760), it was a popular food in France. It was actually kept for food, fattened, slaughtered and served, for example, as a stuffed roast. However, this changed with the beginning of the cat shows, where the Carthusians were exhibited together with other breeds as blue cats, at the end of the 19th century. Around 1920, a real breeding program was set up for the first time, which suffered severe losses in the Second World War due to breeding with only very few animals and a relatively small gene pool as a result. For these reasons, breeding was expanded through crossbreeding with the British Shorthair and the Blue Persian cat.

Appearance

Due to the crossbreeding of the Persian cat and the British Shorthair, the appearance of the Carthusian cat can vary somewhat, depending on which parent breed is the dominant one. However, set characteristics are considered standard for the exterior of the Carthusians.

Head shape (general)

broad, strong chin
head itself should be trapezoidal
full cheeks and
a pronounced whisker cushion

physique

medium to large
medium length
heavy
muscular
broad chest

ears

medium
closely set
set high

nose

medium
wide
straight
no stop

eyes

slightly slanted large
open
Eye color copper to amber yellow/golden

legs

medium length
stocky

paws

round
large

tail

medium length
thin end
rounded tip

color

blue

fur

short
dense
shiny
protruding
dense undercoat

Typical faults of this breed are an uneven or wrong coat color, white spots and a snub nose.

Character

Despite its size, the Carthusian is considered a very gentle pet. She has a very balanced and calm nature, is very sociable, but she is said to have a certain willfulness, which can also be interpreted as normal independence. This noble animal is able to radiate a certain calmness and serenity even when playing, which of course is an attractive contrast to its rather impressive size and stately physique. She is very attached to "her person" and should therefore receive a lot of attention and cuddles. A special feature of the Carthusians is their soft and chirping voice, which they only use in very rare cases

attitude

Since this breed is very robust, it is suitable both for exclusive keeping in the apartment but also as an apartment animal with free range. With free-ranging cats, it goes without saying that their fur is brushed particularly carefully after each "out". Normal cat food is suitable for feeding the cats.However, you should make sure that the proportion of animal by-products (shown on the packaging) is as low as possible. In addition, so-called premium feed is considered to be better in terms of production, processing and tolerance.

health

Cat flu, cat plague, rabies, FeLV leukemia, FIP: Feline Infectious Peritonitis, FIV: Feline Immune Deficiency Virus, Toxoplasmosis, Aujeszky's Disease, Polycystic Kidney Degeneration / PKD are normal and recurring cat diseases against which a Carthusian cat, especially if it is a free-ranging cat is not immune despite her robust body. In addition, a so-called feline diabetes can occur and, in extremely rare cases, feline AIDS.