History of occurrence
The longhaired Angora cat is not the source for angora sweaters, although his fur is certainly just as soft and beautiful. This natural breed takes his name from the city of Ankara in Turkey, which was formerly known as Angora. For centuries, the cats have been attractive souvenirs for invaders of or visitors to Turkey and may have been the first longhaired cats to arrive in Europe. One theory suggests that Vikings brought them from Turkey more than a thousand years ago.
The cats eventually became scarce and were saved only through a breeding program originated by the Ankara Zoo. Angoras were first brought to the United States in 1954. Breeders took an interest in them, but it wasn’t until the mid-1960s that recognition for the breed was sought from the Cat Fanciers Association. The CFA began registering the cats in 1968 and granted full recognition to white Turkish Angoras in 1972. Colored Turkish Angoras were accepted in 1978. Today the cats are recognized by most North American cat registries.
General form
The ideal Turkish Angora is a balanced, graceful cat with a fine, silky coat that shimmers with every movement, in contrast to the firm, long muscular body beneath it.
Отличительная особенность породы Turkish Angora
Head: Size: small to medium, in balance with the length of the body and extremities. Shape: a medium long, smooth wedge. Allowance is to be made for jowls. Profile: two planes formed by a flat top head and the line of the nose meeting at an angle slightly above the eyes. NO BREAK.
Muzzle: a continuation of the smooth lines of the wedge with neither pronounced whisker pad nor pinch.
Ears: large, wide at base, pointed and tuffed. Set closely together, high on the head, vertical and erect.
Eyes: large, almond-shaped, slanting slightly upward with open expression.
Eye colour: there is no relationship between eye color and coat color, and each eye color description can include much variation within its defined spectrum, especially as cats mature. Acceptable colors include blue, which encompasses shades from sky blue to sapphire; green, which can range from gooseberry to emerald; green-gold, which includes any gold or amber eye that carries a greenish cast or ring; amber, which can range from gold to rich copper but has no green cast or ring, and odd-eyed, with one blue eye and the other green, green-gold or amber. While no points are specifically allocated to eye color, deeper, richer tones are preferred. Odd-eyed cats should have similar depth of color in both eyes.
Nose: medium in length.
Chin: firm, gently rounded. Tip in profile to form perpendicular line with nose.
Neck: slim, graceful and rather long.
Body: medium size, however, overall balance, grace and fineness of bone are more important than actual size. Females are typically smaller than males. Body is long and slender, possessing greater depth than width, oval rather than round (not tubular). Shoulders the same width as hips. Rump slightly higher than shoulders. Finely boned with firm muscularity.
Legs: long. Hind legs longer than front.
Paws: small, round and dainty. Tufts between toes preferable.
Tail: long and tapering from a wide base to a narrow end, with a full brush.
Coat: single coated. Length of body coat varies, but tail and ruff should be long, full, finely textured and have a silk-like sheen. “Britches” should be apparent on the hind legs.
Often compare to the dancing ballerina.
Character
Beautiful and elegant on the surface, the Turkish Angora can surprise an unsuspecting owner with his athleticism and intelligence. No bookcase is too high for him to reach the top, and no closed door is safe from being opened by his questing paws. While he certainly can have lovely manners, the Turkey, as he is sometimes nicknamed, has an active, boisterous side to his nature, with a cleverness that makes him endlessly entertaining. He likes to play and will do whatever is necessary to get and keep your attention, even if it means getting into a little trouble.
The Angora keeps his kittenlike playfulness well into old age. He is friendly toward guests but loves his own people best. This is a sociable breed who is best suited to a home where he will have another cat or a dog to keep him company if people aren’t home during the day. When you are home, the Angora may drape himself across your shoulders or settle comfortably into your lap. At night you’re likely to find him next to you with his head resting on your pillow.
To live happily with a Turkey, you should have a sense of humor that matches his own, as well as a good store of patience. Once he gets an idea into his head, it can be difficult to change his mind about how he should behave, but he is so charming that you probably won’t care. If you will, it’s best to consider another breed. This is an affectionate, gentle cat who is devoted to his family, but his precocious intelligence, resourcefulness, desire for interaction and play, and short attention span may make him a challenge to live with.
Maintenance care
The Turkish Angora has a single coat with a silky texture. Because there’s no undercoat to cause mats or tangles, it’s easy to groom with weekly combing or brushing, and it sheds very little. The coat doesn’t achieve its full length until the cat is approximately two years old.
Brush the teeth to prevent periodontal disease. Daily dental hygiene is best, but weekly brushing is better than nothing. Trim the nails every couple of weeks. Wipe the corners of the eyes with a soft, damp cloth to remove any discharge. Use a separate area of the cloth for each eye so you don’t run the risk of spreading any infection.
Check the ears weekly. If they look dirty, wipe them out with a cotton ball or soft damp cloth moistened with a 50-50 mixture of cider vinegar and warm water. Avoid using cotton swabs, which can damage the interior of the ear.
Keep the Angora’s litter box spotlessly clean. Cats are very particular about bathroom hygiene, and a clean litter box will also help to keep the long coat clean.
It’s a good idea to keep a Turkish Angora as an indoor-only cat to protect him from diseases spread by other cats, attacks by dogs or coyotes, and the other dangers that face cats who go outdoors, such as being hit by a car. Turkish Angoras who go outdoors also run the risk of being stolen by someone who would like to have such a beautiful cat without paying for it.
Lifespan — 12-18 years.
Dignity
Good with children, good with household cats and dogs, medium shedding, high sociability with strangers.
Difficulty keeping
Most of these cats with blue eyes are deaf.
Diseases
Both pedigreed cats and mixed-breed cats have varying incidences of health problems that may be genetic in nature. Turkish Angoras are generally healthy, but solid white cats with one or two blue eyes are prone to deafness in one or both ears. Other problems that have been seen in the breed are ataxia and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Ataxia is a fatal neuromuscular disorder that affects very young kittens at 2 to 4 weeks of age. Careful screening has greatly reduced the incidence of the disease.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a form of heart disease that causes the heart muscle to enlarge. It is found in pedigreed and non-pedigreed cats. Turkish Angoras are one of the breeds that may be affected by this disease.