The Turkish Angora is a breed of domestic cat. Turkish Angoras are one of the ancient natural breeds of cat having originated in central Turkey in the Ankara region. The breed has been documented as early as the 17th century and is believed to be the origin of the mutations for both the coloration white and long hair. The breed is also sometimes referred to as simply the Angora or Ankara cat.
History:
White Turkish Angora kitten with odd eyes
Like all domestic cats, Turkish Angoras descended from the African wildcat. The Fertile Crescent was a place where cats were first domesticated. Cats from eastern mountainous regions of Anatolia developed into longhaired breeds like the Turkish Van and the Turkish Angora through inbreeding and natural selection.
Longhaired cats were imported to Britain and France from Asia Minor, Persia and Russia as early as the late 16th century though there are indications that they appeared in Europe as early as the 14th century due to the Crusades. The Turkish Angora was used almost to the point of extinction to improve the coat on the Persian. The Turkish Angora was recognized as a distinct breed in Europe by the 17th century.
Angoras and Persians seem connected. The Persian cat was developed from Turkish angora mutations by British and American cat fanciers. Although some cat associations think the Persian cat is a natural breed.
In classing all long-haired cats as Persians I may be wrong but the distinctions, apparently with hardly any difference between Angoras and Persians are of so fine a nature that I must be pardoned if I ignore the class of cat commonly called Angora which seems gradually to have disappeared from our midst.
The Angora of the 20th century was used for improvement in the Persian coat, but the type has always been divergent from the Persian particularly as the increasingly flat-faced show cat Persian has been developed in the last few decades.
All North American registries accept the Turkish Angora in many colors and patterns. While numbers are still relatively small, the gene pool and base of fanciers are growing.
Appearance
Angora cat at the Ankara Zoo in January 2012. The zoo breeds and sells Angora cats.
Turkish Angora cats have long, silky coats and elegant, sinuous bodies. Though it is known for a shimmery white coat, Turkish angora cats can display a variety of colors. They come in tabby and tabby-white, along with black with an undercoat of chocolate brown, and lastly smoke varieties, and are in every color other than those that indicate crossbreeding, such as pointed, chocolate.
Eyes may be blue, green, amber, yellow, or heterochromatic. Ears are pointed, large and wide-set. The eyes are almond shaped and the profile forms two straight planes. The plumed tail is often carried upright, perpendicular to the back.
Behavior
Turkish Angora cats are playful, intelligent, athletic and involved. They bond with humans, but often select a particular member of the family to be their constant companion. They are in turn, very protective of their person. They are easily trained, including deaf Turkish Angoras, both because of their intelligence and their desire to interact with humans.
This could include tops of doors, bookshelves, and other furniture. Their personality makes the breed desirable to certain people. They get along well in homes with other animals, children, and high activity.
Health
The W gene responsible for the white coat and blue eye is closely related to the hearing ability in this and other breeds, and presence of a blue eye can indicate the cat is deaf to the side the blue eye is located, with some being totally deaf if bearing two blue eyes. However, a great many blue and odd-eyed white cats have normal hearing, and even deaf cats lead a normal life if kept indoors.
Genetics
A genetic study of pedigree cat breeds and worldwide random-bred populations showed the Turkish Van as a distinct population from the Turkish Angora despite their geographical association. The Turkish Angora was grouped with the pedigreed Egyptian Mau and random-bred Tunisian cats. Turkish random-bred cats were grouped with Israeli random-bred cats while the Turkish Van was grouped with Egyptian random-bred cats. However, the UC Davis only studied American cat fancy registered Angoras.
