turkish angora
region Turkey
silhouette Foreign type
hair Mid-length, with a collar around the neck.
dress Traditional, all colors except lilac, cinnamon and fawn
head Small to medium, triangular
eyes Large, almond shaped
ear Large, placed at an angle
tail Wide at the base, tapering down the length
federation LOOF, CFA, ACFA, TICA, FIFe, WCF
introduction
The Turkish Angora is a breed of cat originating in Turkey. This cat is characterized by its semi-long coat and its very ancient origin.
origins
This cat has been known in the East for more than 1000 years. He is the first long-haired cat to arrive in Europe. The name of this cat comes from the ancient name of the capital of Turkey, today called Ankara. In the 17th century (around 1620), the Italian explorer Pietro Della Valle brought back some cats from Turkey to his country, but contrary to what one might think, this cat does not only come from Turkey: indeed, at this time, some are also from Syria and Iran. This cat is therefore very popular with all the European aristocracy and, especially in France, at the court of Louis XV. Thus, great authors speak of him: Linnaeus, to distinguish him from the domestic cat and the Carthusian cat, gives him the name of Cattus angorensis, and Buffon, famous naturalist, describes in his Natural History: "the all white and long-haired". However, in the 19th century, he gave birth to the Persian, to which he transmitted the gene responsible for long hair. Unfortunately, he is a victim of the great success of the latter. It thus almost disappeared, and was even on the verge of extinction after the Second World War. It was then that breeders in Europe and the United States decided to import Turkish Angoras from Turkey, where the breed is currently protected. We find among these imported cats, and ancestors of our Turkish Angoras, the Yildiz and Yildizcik cats from the Ankara zoo. In the 1970s, this breed experienced a real boom. Realizing this, the CFA registered the first subjects in 1970, and recognized the breed in 1973, which the FIFé did in 1988. However, this lineage remains relatively rare and little known today.
temper
The Turkish Angora is described as affectionate, lively and intelligent. He would be an excellent hunter, very playful and would not bear loneliness badly. It is said to be quite talkative in nature, and would have quite a varied range of meows to express its different moods. However, these character traits remain perfectly individual and depend on the history of each cat.