The Turkish Angora is a particularly affectionate and social cat. With a personality characterized by being affectionate, playful, and intelligent, the cat has been very famous throughout history for its beauty and elegance.
Perhaps we are faced with the oldest known breed of cats (10th century) with an exciting journey from Persia or the Caucasus. But let’s get to know better all that they hide. Origin, legend, adjectives, characteristics, care, photos, and many more. get to know him.
The Origin and Legend of the Turkish Angora Cat
It is known as the Turkish Angora cat because of its origin in central Turkey in the Ankara region. There they are called the Ankara Kedi, as they are considered a symbol of purity.
The Turkish Angora cat is likely the distant kinship of an ancient breed of cats that inhabited the Caucasus. These cats can be long-haired to increase their survival, due to the lower temperatures in their place of origin.
They could reach Turkey in the 9th century on the trade routes established between Turkey and Iran or Persia and interbred with local cats, giving rise to both the Turkish and Shirazi Angoras.
Some theories say that their arrival in the Nordic countries dates back to the Vikings in the 10th century, and may lead to the emergence of other races such as the Norwegian Forest Cat.
It is also claimed that the Maine Coon may have originated from a crossbreeding of a Turkish Angora cat from the East, with cats that lived in Maine.
More recently, uncontrolled breeding during the 20th century has endangered their ancestral line, but it is known that thanks to a specific breeding program for the Turkish Angora cat, at the Ankara Zoo, has allowed the breed to recover.
Traits of the Turkish Angora cat
Turkish Angora cats not only have physical beauty but also have a very attractive personality, from being affectionate and playful to surprising their master by reaching the top of the shelf, they are quite intelligent and athletic. They are calm cats but quick to respond.
In addition, this breed has physical characteristics that favor their bold and graceful activity, such as their size, because they are usually medium in size and weight from 3 to 5 kilograms.
They have a very stylized build, with an elongated and elegant body, long legs and a somewhat long tail compared to the size of their body, and very long hair at the tip.
They have a small head with a slightly triangular shape and large, pointed ears.
The first breed of cat with long hair?
Although the Persian cat was the first long-haired breed to spread in the West, the Turkish Angora has more right to be considered the first long-haired cat.
The colors Turkish Angoras can offer range from traditional western, tortoiseshell or uniformed, smoked, shaded, silver, to taupe and mackerel.
The distinctive long-haired trait appears to have arisen as a mutation of the domestic cat, possibly in an isolated population in Central Asia. For this reason, it is said to be one of the first known long-haired cats.
It has been suggested that it could have its origin in the domestication of the Pallas cat by the Tatars who took it to Turkey, where they were able to mate with the original short-haired cats.
Turkish Angora cat character
Turkish Angora cats are usually dependent on their owner. They develop a great relationship with their owners and devote themselves to the family they belong to.
Even for Angora cats, it is very important to get their attention, so if you do not pay the necessary attention, they may spend hours walking between your legs, shoulders, or lying on top of you.
Turkish Angora cat health
We are in front of a strong cat and by the way, long-lived, easily exceeding 15 years of age.
Like all cats, they can suffer from any of the common ailments of any cat, although it is true that because of their fur, they are prone to the accumulation of hairballs in their digestive system, which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and intestinal disorders…
A white Turkish Angora cat (which is the most common) can become deaf in a small percentage, especially those who have heterochromia (different color) or have blue eyes.
Breeding a Turkish Angora cat
Daily cleaning is important for the eyes, ears, nails, and teeth. If it is not done daily, then it should be done at least once a week.
The corners of the eyes should be carefully cleaned with wet tissue and there should be one side of tissue for each eye, so as not to transfer infection from one eye to the other.
It is also important to keep the litter box clean. They are very demanding to clean up and if it is not clean it can defecate outside, to let you know.
An interesting thing about angora cats is that they only have one coat of hair. The inner layer is hardly present. This prevents tangles and knots, which makes caring for her hair very easy.
So, if you brush it with a long-haired tooth comb to remove excess hair, several times each week, it is best to maintain the silky appearance of the coat and avoid the dreaded triple bezoars.
There is no doubt that the Turkish Angora cat is very special, and we hope that you have gotten to know him better. Do you know anything else about this beautiful animal? Do you live with him? Feel free to comment on it in the comments and share it in this awesome CATKINO community!