Turkish Angora Cat

The Turkish Angora is a medium-sized, semi-longhair cat. As its name suggests twice, the cat comes from Turkey. Angora is the old name for today’s capital of Turkey, Ankara. Even if it appears twice in the name, the story of the origin is not yet fully told.

Origin and Breed History

Almost 50 years ago, practically all long-haired cats were referred to as angora cats. Later the term “Persian” was used for the same cats. Persian cats are known everywhere today as a classic of the long-haired cats.

A number of newer breeds have been added, such as the Norwegian Forest Cat, the Ragdoll, or the Maine Coon. Genetic tests have now shown that the long-haired and semi-long-haired cats originate as a large population from the vast areas of Russia and the countries bordering it to the south and west. Here Angora or Persians come back into play as the origin. However, the Persian cat only replaced the Angora cat in terms of its name, not as a cat. Today’s Turkish Angora is a variant of the old Angora or Persian cat that was bred in England in the 1970s.

Allegedly, two white angora cats from the Ankara Zoo were also used for this purpose. Like the Siberian cat, which is probably the purest representative of the original population, the Turkish Angora is a semi-long-haired cat, but in contrast to its long-haired sisters, it is smaller and more elegantly positioned. In 1988 the Turkish Angora was recognized by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FiFe) and a binding standard was set up that initially only allowed white as coat color. A wide range of colors is now allowed for this cat.

Description

The Turkish Angora is a medium-sized breed of cats. She has an elegant, slim build. According to the standard, your movements should radiate grace, be supple and flowing. You should be muscular but show a fine physique without a pronounced chest. Male cats weigh 3 to 5 kilograms, cats a little lighter. The paws should be small and petite. Their tail should be long and bushy, wider than the body, and carried “majestically”. The fur of a Turkish Angora is silky and semi-long. It has no felted undercoat. Therefore, with the winter fur, thick trousers form on the hind legs, and a thick frill around the chest and shoulders.

But this is only seen in mature specimens from the age of two. The fur sheds in summer. Initially, only pure white was permitted as the coat color. However, since pure white is based on a genetic defect that can be associated with serious health problems such as deafness, blindness, and balance disorders, it is not possible to keep a population alive with this. So the limitation to white was dropped. However, fur colors based on other genetic defects, such as the so-called dilute colors, are also allowed today.

Temperament and Essence

The Turkish Angora has a very people-oriented, friendly, and gentle nature. She is extremely calm, calming and seeks to be close to her people. She can develop a close bond here and is particularly suitable for people who want to enjoy peace and relaxation with her. The Turkish Angora is then an amplifier of the relaxation phase. She is also a real family cat. The Turkish Angora is nevertheless attentive and knows its people very well. Turkish Angora is very social and prefers to live with their people. The hustle and bustle can not disturb you so quickly. Of course, we also like to move around in nature, but they can also only be kept in the apartment. Turkish Angora has a wonderful calming and relaxing aura. They are affectionate but do not allow themselves to be captured and remain their own proud personality.

Attitude

A Turkish Angora is the ideal house cat for the apartment. She is undemanding and frugal with regard to her husbandry conditions, apart from grooming and a healthy breed is required. Always looking for an intimate relationship with her two-legged friends, she loves being together in her family. She doesn’t have to be outdoors to feel good all-round, but she doesn’t want to be left alone for a long time. She is extremely easy to get along with and gets along with children, all friends of the family, and fellow animals without any problems.

Upbringing

The Turkish Angora is very easy to train for a cat because it is intelligent, calm, social, and people-oriented. If it comes from a reputable breeder who has looked after and socialized parent animals and kittens well, then it will easily fit into the rules and habits of its family by itself.

Care and Health

The fur of the Turkish Angora should be carefully brushed on a regular basis. This is especially true when the coat is changing. Most Turkish Angora cats love brushing their fur and with a little feeling and skill, you can turn it into a daily ritual of bonding, which both cats and humans do very well emotionally.

Diseases Typical of the Breed

Breeding the Turkish Angora cat can suffer from severe inbreeding. This not infrequently leads to immune deficiencies, sickness, and shortened life expectancy. This breed can also have a number of hereditary diseases that are widespread inbreeding, such as ataxia, where the movement is disturbed. Some coat colors can lead to health problems. Pure white specimens in particular can be burdened with hereditary diseases, such as predispositions to deafness, blindness, and imbalance.

Nutrition / Feed

The Turkish Angora is usually a problem-free border for a cat.

Life Expectancy

A Turkish Angora is long-lived without any breeding exaggerations and without coat colors caused by genetic defects. So cats of this breed can live to be 15 years old.

Buy Turkish Angora Cat

Finding a healthy and seriously bred Turkish Angora is not easy. You should visit your breeder personally on-site to avoid animal trafficking as much as possible. Make sure that parents and kittens grow up in good relationships and especially with a close social connection to the human family and look at the family tree. No ancestor should appear twice here in order to rule out excessive inbreeding. Both parents should be tested negative for the hereditary diseases common in Turkish Angora. Reputable breeders indicate this on their own. Of course, the kittens should be vaccinated, dewormed, and chipped several times. A seriously bred Turkish Angora puppy from a healthy line should cost around 800 euros