Turkish Angora

Although a rare breed, the Turkish Angora is fast growing in popularity. Available in different colors, it combines all the grace of the shorthaired breeds with a longish, silky coat and distinctive plumed tail.

The breed originates from Ankara, formerly Angora, in Turkey. Its long hair is associated with Turkey’s cold weather, insulating them from the harsh conditions. Back in the 18th century, this cat was adorned by royalty and kept like true treasures. It is mainly confused with the Persian cat, whose physical traits are similar. Because of its physical features, the Turkish Angora has been sought out from Britain to France.

During the 1900s, the breed became a common feature for most programs involving hybridization in Persia. This almost led to the extinction of the agile cat genus. Being a national treasure, programs begun towards the conservation of this cat.

The Turkish Angora continuously adapted to its environment by mutating its long hair. Its survival in the Turkey brings out its resilient nature and its intelligent aspects. All these traits were passed down to their offspring, who are believed to have spread to Persia, North America and Western Asia. All these perspectives are a result of the rich history surrounding the Turkish Angora.

For many years, the breed was a phenomenon in cat shows. This entailed showing off their beautiful fur while showcasing the basic tricks. At that time, the population of the Angora cat began to decline. Because of this situation, the Turkish government created a breeding program for this rare breed. The Turkish government established a partnership with the zoo of Ankara where this breed may be preserved.

The Turkish Angora has undergone inbreeding with the local cat population, giving rise to other new breeds. The Turkish Angora has been certified as a pedigree cat. There are a variety of colors, white being the very popular. Others are spotted, tabby and bicolor patterns. The tabby pattern includes mackerel, classic, spotted and ticked or agouti tabby.

A lithe, lean and elegant breed with long, slim legs. The eyes are should be green in all coat colors except white, where they may be blue or odd eyed. Accepted coat colors include black, chocolate, red, cinnamon, shaded, smoke, tabby, silver, or white. Although, the Angora breed is known for its predominant white color.

There are two white genes; the main white and white spotting. These two genes are separated alleles that can occur in the same cat. Hence a pure white cat can also be a spotted white cat. If the spotting gene occurs in the temple area of the cat's head, that ear will be deaf regardless of the eye color. This is true of non-dominant white cats, nevertheless in a dominant white cat there is no way to tell if the head is spotting gene white or dominant white.

You can only know this if breeding occurs and the kittens show the spotting gene. At least this information will help you eliminate the myth about associating white cats with blue eyes or odd-eyed as deaf.

A cat's fur is its crowning glory and a source of insulation. In the wild, a cat’s coat color serves as camouflage and is related to its natural habitat. Chance color mutations and selective breeding have produced the variety of coats seen in today’s pedigree cats. Types of coat like the color is also developed to suit the habitat; the more rugged the climate, the thicker the coat.

Origin: Britain

Grooming: 4/5

Activity: 5/5

GCCF group: Oriental Shorthair

Intelligent and companionable, the Turkish Angora loves attention. It is loud and talkative, so usually gets it!

A Turkish Angora keeps his kitten-like playfulness well until his old age. It is friendly towards guests, it is a sociable breed best suited to home with another cat. A bored Turkish Angora can cause a lot of mischief, thus if s important not to leave the cat alone for many hours. It's affectionate and always ready to help and participate in all your activities. When it wants to play, the Turkish Angora can be very persistent and can be destructive just to get the desired attention.

They have a tendency of concealing themselves in surprising places including closets or even in the cloth basket, which for them is play.

Described as a ballerina, the Angora cat loves to dance and responds positively to music. It walks in coordinated grace of a ballet dancer in furry shoes.

Turkish Angora cats are indoor cats by choice. It actually loves being indoors, cuddled up in the warmest corners of your home. Unlike most cats, the Turkish Angora is not an independent cat. It does not like being left in the open for too long.

Even if you do take your Turkish Angora out occasionally, you must make sure that you are around it all the time, as these cats tend to feel a sense of despair when they are alone. The best way to take a Turkish Angora out is with the leash on. Although this may seem unusual for a cat, it is a common practice among Turkish Angora owners.

The Turkish Angora is a natural breed of cats. A cat has nine lives is a statement you hear everywhere but as for the Turkish Angora, its lifespan is not stipulated and can live a long, healthy life. It’s important to keep the cat in a clean environment as this will encourage and even motivate the cat to continue being playful.

Some lines in the Turkish Angora breed may inherit the heart disease feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HMC), a fatal progressive heart condition. Although the symptoms are subtle, the first visible symptom is often sudden death. Veterinary schools of medicine are working to find ways to test, treat, and cure the disease. Currently, there is no cure available but medication can slow the progression if diagnosed early.

Turkish Angora Ataxia is a condition that begins at four weeks of age with tremors and progresses rapidly to complete lack of voluntary muscular control. This condition is also undergoing extensive research on possible treatments to be adopted. Currently there is no cure or treatment available.

Incompatibility blood types are common with Turkish Angoras as they posses both blood types A and B. This can be alarming, especially in times of breeding where kittens born under such conditions end up dying a few hours after the initial birth. The type В blood is also rare in the cat population, making it hard in times of emergency blood transfusion.

A healthy Turkish Angora can live for many years if it does not acquire complications. It is essential as a caregiver to the Turkish Angora to ensure that the cat undergoes proper medical checkups to alleviate any types of illness associated. It has a life expectancy of 15-20 years.

An active breed ideal for a similar household, it fits in well with children and other pets. Having a longish coat, it needs regular grooming.