Russian Blue and Chartreux are two cat breeds which often get mixed up because of their blue coat color. However, when you know what to look for, it can be quite easy to tell these two breeds apart.

Disclaimer: The following tips will only help you to visually identify the two breeds, but the only way to know for sure if a cat is a Russian Blue or a Chartreux is to check the cat’s pedigree!
So, if your cat matches some of the following criteria, it does not necessarily make it a Russian Blue or a Chartreux! It needs to have a pedigree that proves its breed.
If you are hesitating between acquiring a Russian Blue or a Chartreux kitten, I highly recommend that you read about ethical breeding.

Breed History

First, let’s start with a bit of history.

two russian blue cat — Two Russian Blue from **@jamesandmya**

The origins of the Russian Blue

As with many older cat breeds, the origins of the Russian Blue are unsure. They are said to come from the port of Arkhangelsk in Russia, where they developed dense fur because of the cold climate. It also explains why they are sometimes called “Archangel Blues”. The breed was then imported in England in the 19th century, where it’s presented for the first time at an exposition. The breed was recognized by the Fife in 1939.
Sadly, like many other cat breeds, the Russian Blue almost disappeared during the Second World War. To help recreate the breed and to add genetic diversity, Russian Blue were crossed with domestic shorthairs as well as Siamese cats and blue British Shorthair.
Some Russian Blue cats were exported in the USA and the breed kept developing there. The development of the breed in different areas resulted in 3 types of Russian blue: the American type, the British type, and the Scandinavian type. We'll cover these types later in the article.

A Chartreux from **@joconde_la_chartreuse**

The origins of the Chartreux

The Chartreux is said to be an old French natural breed and was first mentioned in the 18th century. The breed started being developed in France at the beginning of the 20th century and was shown in a cat exposition in Paris in 1933. Like the Russian Blue, the population of Chartreux was affected by the Second World War. The Chartreux were also altered by cross-breeding with blue British Shorthair, as this breeding was allowed by the cat fancy. The cross-breeding was so present that the two breeds were merged by the Fifé, until the action of a Chartreux cat club to recreate a separate standard in 1977. The breed was then exported internationally and remains quite popular in France.

We can see that they are both old cat breeds when we consider that most cat breeds were established after the ’80s. The two breeds also got at some points cross-bred with British Shorthair cats.

Physical Features

Having discussed their history, let’s now dive into some of the physical features that characterize the two breeds.

Eyes

The easiest way to tell apart a Russian Blue from a Chartreux is by looking at their eye color.
Russian Blue cats have intense and vivid green eyes; the kittens’ eyes may take a while to change from yellow to green. The eyes should be large and set far apart.
The Chartreux cats have deep and brilliant orange eyes (their color can vary from gold to copper). The color should be intense and pure without any hint of green. The eyes are also large and should be expressive.
While the eye color is very convenient to recognize the two breeds, it’s not the only difference: let’s look at some other physical characteristics.

Two American type Russian Blue from **@xafiandauri**

Head shape

The Russian Blue head is quite angular, similar to a wedge, and made of straight planes. The nose should be straight and the face should be triangular when seen from the front. The corner of the mouth is slightly turned up which gives the Russian Blue a sweet smiling face expression.
The head of the Chartreux is wide, slightly broader at the bottom than at the top, with a slightly rounded forehead. The jaws and cheeks should be full especially in older male cats.

Ear shape

The ears of the Russian Blue are large and set wide apart.
The Chartreux ears are small to medium, with a rounded tip and placed high on the head.

A Chartreux from **@pennybluechartreux**

Fur

The fur of the Russian Blue is dense and very fine as well as soft and silky.
Chartreux’s fur is also dense but has a slightly wooly texture.

Body shape

The Russian Blue’s body is long and graceful with a fine boning and long legs. However, they are well muscled.
The Chartreux is sturdy, with strong boning and a solid musculature.

Size

Russian Blue is a breed small to medium in size; the males are slightly bigger than the females. The average weight is between 2.5 kg to 5 kg (5.5 to 11 pounds).
Chartreux is a medium to large breed; Chartreux males are also bigger than the females. An adult male can weigh 4 to 7 kg (9 to 15 pounds) and a female can weigh around 3 to 5 kg (7 to 11 pounds).

Coat color

While it may sound surprising (as their color is the trait that is usually confused between the two breeds), it is possible to tell apart a Chartreux from a Russian Blue cat by looking at their coat color. In fact, while both breeds only allow the blue solid coat color, the blue nuance is not the same in the two breeds.
The Russian Blue's coat is a uniform blue-grey color and is silver-tipped (not to be confused with the silver inhibitor gene); in other words, the extremity of their hair is silverish, which gives a lighter color to their coat.
The Chartreux's coat is also a uniform blue-grey color. It can take any shade, but they often appear darker than Russian Blue cats because they don’t have the silver sheen.

Character

Russian Blues are said to be attached to their family and so they can appear to be shy and wary of strangers.
Chartreux are said to be intelligent, affectionate, and gentle.
However, while it’s true that cats of the same breed may have similar traits, each cat has its own personality. That’s why I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to compare the characters of the two breeds.

Two Chartreux from **@brothers_cats_chartreux**

The 3 types of Russian Blue

As mentioned before, there are 3 types of Russian Blue: the American, the British, and the Scandinavian. Here are some main differences between these different lines of Russian Blue.

The American type, which currently seems to be the most popular one, is smaller and lighter in color. The eyes are rounder and bigger than in the other types.
The British type is the one with the most intense emerald eye color; the ears are placed vertically on the head. It’s also the bigger type with a heavier body structure, but it still remains an elegant cat.
The Scandinavian type is an intermediate between the American and British types.

To summarize, Russian Blue cats have intense green eyes while Chartreux have deep orange eyes. A Chartreux cat is sturdier than a Russian Blue, which has more of an elegant figure. Finally, the Russian Blue has a silver shimmering to its blue coat contrary to the Chartreux which, therefore, appears darker.
I hope this article was helpful and that you will now be able to recognize these two breeds.

Sources

Title picture: On the left, a Russian Blue from @sissiandloki and on the right a Chartreux from @joconde_la_chartreuse

Standard LOOF

Standard FIFé

Standard TICA

Russian Blue vs Chartreux