The Chartreux is a French breed with a long history. Blue-gray cats were written about in sixteenth-century France, and after the breed nearly disappeared following World War I, it was rebuilt in the 1920s from natural colonies. Every Chartreux is blue, with a dense, woolly, water-resistant coat, gold to copper eyes, a muscular body on fairly short legs and a tapered muzzle that gives the face a smiling look. Adults typically weigh 7 to 14 pounds, and males run larger.
Personality tends toward calm, gentle and devoted. Many chirp softly instead of meowing, and some are nearly silent. Play comes in short bursts, usually with toys that mimic prey. Chartreux mature slowly, over several years, and the thick coat sheds most heavily with the seasons. In a Las Vegas home, that means a regular brushing routine and measured meals, since these cats put on weight easily.