Turkish Angora

Abbreviation:

Turkish Angora

FIFe:

TUA

Place of Origin:

Turkey

Ancestors:

Breed type:

Semi-haired cat

Body type:

Fine skeleton

Weight:

2.5 - 5 kg

Colour variety:

All longhaired / Persian colours, in the US except for chocolate, lilac and Himalayan

History: The name of this breed is coming from Turkey's Ankara, formerly called Angora. It is one of the oldest breeds, perhaps even the oldest half-haired breed. Like the Maine Coon, the Norwegian Forest and Siberian Cat, Turkish Angora is a natural breed too, a breed created without human intervention.

By the name that is mentioned, Turkish Angora originally came from Turkey. Europe's first Angora cats were brought to Europe by Italian merchants at the beginning of the 17th century. Thanks to their luxury appearance over short-haired domestic cats that had been known in Europe so far, they were often given as a gift to nobility. They were particularly popular with the French court.

By the end of the 19th century, the Turkish Angora began to cross with other cats, and their expression had a more luxurious look. This is why from the Angor breed people were interested more in these hybrids (the precursors of the Persian Long-haired cats). The breed was disappearing that between 1910 and 1920 there was a risk of extinction. The survival of the breed was mainly due to the breeding program carried out by the zoos in Ankara and Istanbul. Exports of the Angors were forbidden, and so only a few pedigree individuals were taken abroad illegally.

In the 1950s, the Americans managed to get some individuals that became the basis of breeding in Europe and the United States of America. First, the white variety of Turkish Angora, later its colour versions was recognized.

Temperament: Turkish Angora are expressively social cats, active and extrovert. Thanks to their intelligence and extreme curiosity, they can easily learn about various things, such as opening the door. They are playful and enterprising, very valued by human society. Sometimes, however, they tend to cling to one person, and often use their voice gently and politely to welcome that person after coming home. Turkish Angora are very talented in terms of attention and love. The same thing they expect in return. Therefore, they find it difficult to endure solitude. With other cats and dogs are getting well, as well as with children. They can get used to the harness.

Body: Angora is small to medium-sized, with a small skeleton. Though strong and muscled, it works gracefully and elegantly. It is characterized by graceful smooth movements. The body is relatively long, the back legs are slightly higher than the front. The paws are small and round, with inter-furred tufts of hairs. The slim neck is medium-long and has a beautiful effect. The long tail is wide at the root and merges into the tip. The wedge-shaped broad head with a not-too-pronounced chin is small to medium in comparison with the body. Ears are long and pointed, with long hair and set high on the head. Large almond eyes are slightly sloping on the head. The nose is medium-length with a slight bend. Turkish Angoras physically reach up to age of two years.

Care: Angora hair does not tend to suck and it can be easily groomed, brushing is enough once a week. In summer, the coat is noticeably shorter and thinner. Moulting period is running intensively but quickly, mainly in spring and autumn. White Angora may occasionally need to wash by high quality shampoo, but no less than a week before the show. A non-perfumed talc powder may also be used which is blown into the hair and then brushed. The ears can be cleaned if necessary.

Coat: The long-slender fur of Turkish Angora is delicate as a silk and blends well along the body. The lower part of the body often waves. The undercoat is not dense. The tail is fully furred, as well as the collar and panties.

Colour variants: The most original colour of the Turkish Angora is pure white with blue or yellow eyes. Today, however, it appears in all colours and colour combinations of natural origin. The most common are red, black and their dilutions - creamy and blue. Colours can be pure or aguti. Then they are blotched tabby, mackerel tabby, or spotted tabby coats. Often tortillas and tortoise tabas are also present. White spots and predominantly white hair with several stains are allowed. The eye´s colour can be from green to yellow to copper and blue. Relatively often there are also white turquoise angina with odd-eyed. White Angora are often the genetics donors of deafness, especially if they have blue and different eyes.