Its name comes from the Monastery "La Grande Chartreuse."  The legend of the monastery says that in the Middle Ages, two notable contributions came to the world from their development in this monastery: One was the green liqueur and the other, the Chartreux cat.

These cats were used to control the plague of rats in the monasteries and hospitals. During World War II, the breed almost went extinct, but it was reestablished by crossing Persians with British Blue. 

Traits
The Chartreux is a big cat with big and muscular shoulders and a well developed chest.  It has big paws. The head is wide and angled, with a short and straight nose, slightly elevated.  It has a narrow nose with a smiling expression.  The ears are small to medium with a high root, lightly rounded. The copper color of the eyes is one of the main characteristics of this placid and calm cat.

Character
These are very docile cats, easy to have in the house.  They adapt well to all types of situations.  They are very smooth, agile and refined cats.  They possess many qualities, like strength, intelligence and friendliness.  It is a very affectionate cat.

Care
Nutrition is very important for this breed.  The diet should be balanced and small as they have the tendency for obesity (especially sterilized cats).