Buying a Chartreux Kitten

These kittens were born on 16 January 2016 at Chatterie de Midilys in France. Maddison and Macan, the first kittens to join our breeding programme, came from this litter.

A big part of Chartreux Cat Club UK’s aim is to establish the breed in the UK. Some of our breeders are registered with GCCF’s Breeder Scheme. The kittens will stay with their mother until they are ready to leave, and they are socialized in the breeder’s home. They will have had the standard vaccinations, been microchipped, registered with GCCF and insured for 4 weeks. You should expect to pay £1200 plus the neutering cost (01/23). Depending on the recovery after neutering, they will be ready to leave the breeder at 14-15 weeks. The waiting time could be up to 10 months.

The club has a Central Waiting List, and kitten enquiries are now made online using the ‘Contact Us’ page. We will contact you when you are next in turn, and one of our breeders has a kitten available. This digital list makes it easier for everybody, as it holds all the correspondence with the clients in one place. We are committed to offering kittens on a first come, first served basis, but should you turn down two kitten offers, your enquiry will be transferred to a Dormant Enquiries List, where it will remain until you contact us again. At that time, the enquiry will be transferred back to the Live Enquiries List with the date of the transfer. This list will also be used should you want to delay getting a kitten and still want us to keep any correspondence.

As with all rare and expensive animals, there is the risk that unscrupulous breeders and sellers could exploit them. So we strongly recommend that you follow the GCCF kitten-buying guidelines, Getting a Cat, before committing to such an expensive purchase.

Chartreux are wonderful companions, and with their good looks, intelligence and amiable personality, it is not surprising that they are quite sought after as pets. They are considered one of the healthiest breeds with little to no genetic issues. But, you should also be aware that Chartreux are long-lived and considered indoor cats. They enjoy going outside but should not be permitted to roam freely. With their double coat, they do need to be combed regularly, especially since entire males can grow quite large with a thick fur coat to match! Also, given that they tend to form bonds with humans, they appreciate their humans’ company, even if they don’t always show it.

Please be aware that the Club cannot accept responsibility for any kitten purchases.

Naming your Kitten

As the parents of the first UK-bred kittens were registered with LOOF, the French equivalent of GCCF, and named after their system, we have adopted this system also for the kittens born in the UK to acknowledge their French heritage. Kittens born in the same year have names beginning with the same letter(s). The letters rotate through the alphabet each year: A-I, J+K, L-O, P+Q, R-U, V+W+X+Y+Z. Some letters are grouped together, as the choice of names beginning with these letters is limited. The letters for 2024 are V+W+X+Y+Z.

Lucy’s Law

You may know that Lucy’s Law came into force on the 6th of April 2020. The law is named after a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Lucy, who died in 2016 after being poorly treated on a puppy farm. She had been forced to breed several times a year, and her puppies were taken away at just four weeks old. When found, she was severely malnourished, in poor health and her body worn out from so many pregnancies. Her terrible treatment sparked a nationwide campaign to stop the unethical trade of puppies and kittens. Lucy’s Law bans the sale of puppies and kittens by third parties. The law also requires that the puppies and kittens are born and reared in a safe environment with their mother and sold from their place of birth. It will ensure that anyone buying or adopting a puppy or kitten under six months old deals directly with the breeder or an animal rehoming centre rather than with a pet shop or other commercial dealer. The ban, which applies to England, is also designed to deter smugglers from bringing young puppies and kittens into the UK to be sold for financial gain. Our club fully supports Lucy’s Law and its purpose.