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| Turkish Angora Cat |
The origins of the Turkish Angora Cats remain a mystery, although longhaired cats
have been seen in parts of the Middle East for centuries. Formerly known as
"Ankara Cats," in honor of the city of Ankara in Turkey, the name for
a particular strain of these longhaired felines was changed to Turkish Angora
when the name of the city was changed from Ankara to Angora.
Turkish Angoras
and other longhaired cats where first introduced to Europe in the late 1500s.
The breed came to the United States in the 1700s. Subsequent crossbreeding to
other longhaired cats nearly destroyed the breed until in the 1900s, the
Turkish government began a breeding program to save the all-white Angora. A
pair of cats from this program were imported into the United States, and the
breed experienced a resurgence.
Although still somewhat rare, the Turkish
Angora is growing steadily in popularity. The breed is recognized by the Cat
Fanciers Association, The International Cat Association and the American Cat
Fanciers Association.
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| turkish angora cat tabby |
The Turkish Angora is a long-bodied,
relatively fine-boned cat, small to medium in size. Turkish Angora Cats have a
silky tail, medium-long length coat, no undercoat and fine bone structure.
There seems to be a connection between Ankara Cats and Persians, and the Turkish Angora is also a distant
cousin of the Turkish Van.
Although they are known for their shimmery white coat, currently there are more
than twenty varieties including black, blue, and reddish fur. They come in tabby and tabby-white, along with smoke
varieties, and are in every color other than pointed, lavender, and cinnamon.
Eyes may be blue, green, or amber, or even one blue and one amber or green. The
W gene responsible for the white coat and blue eye is closely related to the
hearing ability, and presence of a blue eye can indicate the cat is deaf to the
side the blue eye is located. However, a great many blue and odd-eyed white cats have normal hearing, and even
deaf cats lead a very normal life if kept indoors. The head is a characteristic
wedge shape, set off by large almond eyes and ears which should be as large,
tall, and close together as possible. The coat is characteristically glossy,
with a fine silken sheen. The tail is long, like the body, and is ideally a
'brush' tail -- the hairs are all one length, creating a fox-brush effect.
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| Van Kedesi |
Turkish Angora
Cats with blue eyes are prone
to deafness. Cats with one blue eye and one amber eye will be deaf on the side
of the blue eye.
Because of their long coat, Turkish Angoras need frequent
brushing to prevent mats and hairballs.
Turkish Angoras are active cats that
need playmates and attention to stay out of trouble.
There are few ways to identify Turkish
Angora Cats such as;
- · Check the cat's fur; it should be long, fine, soft, silky and smooth.
- · Check the cat's head; it should be small and slightly pointed.
- · Check the cat's ears; they should be pointed and triangular. They are nearly always erect.
- · Check the cat's tail; it should be long and bushy with long fur.
- · Check the cat's body and paws; the body should be long, and the paws should be dainty with fur between the toes. An Angora cat also has a small chest that is not rounded as other cats' are.
- · Request ancestral records proving that the cat is a purebred Angora.
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