Chartreux information needed.

I am planning to get a Chartreux cat. A rare breed. Does anyone have
opinions or stories about owning a Chartreux? Are they as wonderful a cat as
they seem, or are there downsides I am not seeing? All info and stories
would be appreciated.

"Jimmy Lee" wrote in message
...
I am planning to get a Chartreux cat. A rare breed. Does anyone have
opinions or stories about owning a Chartreux? Are they as wonderful
a cat as
they seem, or are there downsides I am not seeing? All info and
stories
would be appreciated.


The most wonderful cat in the world is waiting to die at your
local pound this minute.

"Jimmy Lee" wrote in message
...
I am planning to get a Chartreux cat. A rare breed. Does anyone have
opinions or stories about owning a Chartreux? Are they as wonderful
a cat as
they seem, or are there downsides I am not seeing? All info and
stories
would be appreciated.


The most wonderful cat in the world is waiting to die at your
local pound this minute.

Not so fast, Mary. I just buried the greatest cat in the world. He was a
black and white from the pound. What a great cat. I loved him. Despite the
fact that he developed a myriad of diseases, puked 3 times a day, cost me a
mint diagnosing and unsuccessfully treating his irritable bowel disease, and
broke my heart by dying younger than expected - likely all as a result of
poor breeding and bad genes - I loved him. My next door neighbor really
loves his pound cat too. Despite the fact that it was taken away from its
mommy too early and never learned to use the litterbox, and despite the fact
that it was not handled enough when it was young and thus resists all human
contact without biting, he still loves it.

The way I see it, there are two cats in the world. One is at the pound, the
other is at the breeder's cattery. BOTH are in this world and I get to
choose. This time I want one whose breeding was well selected, and one who
was with its mommy and well-socialized. While I realize that there are no
guarantees, I at least know the cat's history, breeding stock, and rearing
techniques. That, Mary, is important to me this time around.

"Mary" wrote in message
m...

"Jimmy Lee" wrote in message
...
I am planning to get a Chartreux cat. A rare breed. Does anyone have
opinions or stories about owning a Chartreux? Are they as wonderful
a cat as
they seem, or are there downsides I am not seeing? All info and
stories
would be appreciated.


The most wonderful cat in the world is waiting to die at your
local pound this minute.

Not so fast, Mary. I just buried the greatest cat in the world. He was a
black and white from the pound. What a great cat. I loved him. Despite the
fact that he developed a myriad of diseases, puked 3 times a day, cost me a
mint diagnosing and unsuccessfully treating his irritable bowel disease, and
broke my heart by dying younger than expected - likely all as a result of
poor breeding and bad genes - I loved him. My next door neighbor really
loves his pound cat too. Despite the fact that it was taken away from its
mommy too early and never learned to use the litterbox, and despite the fact
that it was not handled enough when it was young and thus resists all human
contact without biting, he still loves it.

The way I see it, there are two cats in the world. One is at the pound, the
other is at the breeder's cattery. BOTH are in this world and I get to
choose. This time I want one whose breeding was well selected, and one who
was with its mommy and well-socialized. While I realize that there are no
guarantees, I at least know the cat's history, breeding stock, and rearing
techniques. That, Mary, is important to me this time around.

"Mary" wrote in message
m...

"Jimmy Lee" wrote in message
...
I am planning to get a Chartreux cat. A rare breed. Does anyone have
opinions or stories about owning a Chartreux? Are they as wonderful
a cat as
they seem, or are there downsides I am not seeing? All info and
stories
would be appreciated.


The most wonderful cat in the world is waiting to die at your
local pound this minute.

"Jimmy Lee" wrote in message
...
Not so fast, Mary. I just buried the greatest cat in the world. He
was a
black and white from the pound. What a great cat. I loved him.
Despite the
fact that he developed a myriad of diseases, puked 3 times a day,
cost me a
mint diagnosing and unsuccessfully treating his irritable bowel
disease, and
broke my heart by dying younger than expected - likely all as a
result of
poor breeding and bad genes.

If you are thinking a cat from a breeder is going to have "better
genes"
in the sense that it will be healthier, I think you are sadly
mistaken. It is
my friends who have "purebred" cats who are always having tumors
removed and all kinds of horrific problems with their cats.

Left alone and not meddled with, cats tend to widen the gene pool,
which is healthy. In the hands of breeders the pool generally shrinks,
which is not.


My next door neighbor really
loves his pound cat too. Despite the fact that it was taken away
from its
mommy too early and never learned to use the litterbox, and despite
the fact
that it was not handled enough when it was young and thus resists
all human
contact without biting, he still loves it.

I have an adult cat from a no-kill shelter who was socialized from
feral to totally loving in four months after being found a 6-month-old
pregnant stray. Her toilet habits are impeccable.


The way I see it, there are two cats in the world. One is at the
pound, the
other is at the breeder's cattery.

The one at the cattery is there because people like you are
willing to buy it even though millions of animals are suffering
and being put down every day for want of a decent home.

Go ahead and get your "pure-bred", genetically
screwed-with cat, but don't try to justify it with these
kinds of lame arguments. Isn't there an
alt.pets.cats.unnatural.breeds.that.make.money.for .heartless.****heads
?

"Jimmy Lee" wrote in message
...
Not so fast, Mary. I just buried the greatest cat in the world. He
was a
black and white from the pound. What a great cat. I loved him.
Despite the
fact that he developed a myriad of diseases, puked 3 times a day,
cost me a
mint diagnosing and unsuccessfully treating his irritable bowel
disease, and
broke my heart by dying younger than expected - likely all as a
result of
poor breeding and bad genes.

If you are thinking a cat from a breeder is going to have "better
genes"
in the sense that it will be healthier, I think you are sadly
mistaken. It is
my friends who have "purebred" cats who are always having tumors
removed and all kinds of horrific problems with their cats.

Left alone and not meddled with, cats tend to widen the gene pool,
which is healthy. In the hands of breeders the pool generally shrinks,
which is not.


My next door neighbor really
loves his pound cat too. Despite the fact that it was taken away
from its
mommy too early and never learned to use the litterbox, and despite
the fact
that it was not handled enough when it was young and thus resists
all human
contact without biting, he still loves it.

I have an adult cat from a no-kill shelter who was socialized from
feral to totally loving in four months after being found a 6-month-old
pregnant stray. Her toilet habits are impeccable.


The way I see it, there are two cats in the world. One is at the
pound, the
other is at the breeder's cattery.

The one at the cattery is there because people like you are
willing to buy it even though millions of animals are suffering
and being put down every day for want of a decent home.

Go ahead and get your "pure-bred", genetically
screwed-with cat, but don't try to justify it with these
kinds of lame arguments. Isn't there an
alt.pets.cats.unnatural.breeds.that.make.money.for .heartless.****heads
?

Not so fast, Mary. I just buried the greatest cat in the world. He was a
black and white from the pound. What a great cat. I loved him. Despite the
fact that he developed a myriad of diseases, puked 3 times a day, cost me a
mint diagnosing and unsuccessfully treating his irritable bowel disease, and
broke my heart by dying younger than expected - likely all as a result of
poor breeding and bad genes - I loved him. My next door neighbor really
loves his pound cat too. Despite the fact that it was taken away from its
mommy too early and never learned to use the litterbox, and despite the fact
that it was not handled enough when it was young and thus resists all human
contact without biting, he still loves it.

Whoa. You're using a couple of anecdotal stories to diss shelter cats. They are
the exception, not the rule.
You can't be sure that "poor breeding and genetics" caused your cat's health
problems. Actually, the risk of genetic disease is fairly low in shelter cats
because of the vast moggie gene pool.
As for your neighbors, I've hand-raised kittens that still had their umbilical
cords who learned excellent litterbox habits. And since they were handled, by
me, they were all very loving kittens.
You just can't generalize shelter cats that way. IMO, you have just as good a
chance getting a cat that can be made into a healthy, well-adjusted cat at a
shelter as anywhere else.
Sherry

Not so fast, Mary. I just buried the greatest cat in the world. He was a
black and white from the pound. What a great cat. I loved him. Despite the
fact that he developed a myriad of diseases, puked 3 times a day, cost me a
mint diagnosing and unsuccessfully treating his irritable bowel disease, and
broke my heart by dying younger than expected - likely all as a result of
poor breeding and bad genes - I loved him. My next door neighbor really
loves his pound cat too. Despite the fact that it was taken away from its
mommy too early and never learned to use the litterbox, and despite the fact
that it was not handled enough when it was young and thus resists all human
contact without biting, he still loves it.

Whoa. You're using a couple of anecdotal stories to diss shelter cats. They are
the exception, not the rule.
You can't be sure that "poor breeding and genetics" caused your cat's health
problems. Actually, the risk of genetic disease is fairly low in shelter cats
because of the vast moggie gene pool.
As for your neighbors, I've hand-raised kittens that still had their umbilical
cords who learned excellent litterbox habits. And since they were handled, by
me, they were all very loving kittens.
You just can't generalize shelter cats that way. IMO, you have just as good a
chance getting a cat that can be made into a healthy, well-adjusted cat at a
shelter as anywhere else.
Sherry

Jimmy Lee" wrote

The way I see it, there are two cats in the world. One is at the pound, the
other is at the breeder's cattery. BOTH are in this world and I get to
choose. This time I want one whose breeding was well selected, and one who
was with its mommy and well-socialized. While I realize that there are no
guarantees, I at least know the cat's history, breeding stock, and rearing
techniques. That, Mary, is important to me this time around.

Unfortunately anyone who posts on this ng anything about purebred cats meets
with a lecture on why they should be adopting a shelter cat. There are probably
more welcoming places to post your questions about various breeds.

I have only seen a few Chartreux at cat shows, so I can't really comment. In
personality they seem somewhat similar to the British shorthair, a generally
easy-going, serene cat. My advice would be to talk to Chartreux breeders, and
if you have any major cat shows in your area, go see if there are any Chartreux
breeders there. It's always a good idea to talk to the breeders and get to know
them and their cats before making a decision.