Turkish Angora Cat Information and Personality Traits

A sweet, quiet cat, the Turkish angora is loyal and affectionate but can also become upset by sudden changes in her environment.

Turkish Angora at a glance
The Turkish Angora Cat Breed

The Turkish Angora loves to play and appreciates a selection of toys.

Weight range:

Male: large: >5.4 kg
Female: 3.6-5.4 kg.

Eye colour:

Blue, Copper, Green, Gold, Odd-eyed

Expectations:

Longevity Range: 9-14 yrs.
Social/Attention Needs: Moderate
Tendency to Shed: High

Coat:

Length: Medium, Long
Characteristics: Silky
Colours: White, Red, Cream, Black, Blue, Silver, Tortoiseshell, Calico, Dilute Calico, Bluecream
Pattern: Solid Colour, Tortoiseshell, Bicolour, Tricolour/Calico, Tabby, Smoke
Less Allergenic: No
Overall Grooming Needs: Moderate

Club recognition:

Cat Association Recognition:
CFA, ACFA , TICA
Prevalence: Rare

The Turkish Angora is generally a medium sized cat. She has a long, slender body with fine boning.

She is a muscular cat and should not appear thin or emaciated. The ears of the Turkish Angora are tall as are the slightly slanted eyes. The hind legs are taller than the front. This elegant cat always appears alert, active and proud of herself. The coat of the Turkish Angora is medium long. The single coat has no undercoat, which makes this longhair cat easy to care for. The coat has seasonal variations but even when shorter, it should be soft and silky and flow when she is in motion.

Personality:

The Turkish Angora is sweet but may become upset with sudden changes to her environment. This cat is quiet despite her semi-feral ancestry.

The Turkish Angora is loyal and affectionate, and loves to play and run.

Living With:

The Turkish Angora should not be allowed to get fat. This elegant cat has fine boning and too much weight can be harmful.

The Turkish Angora loves to run and play and she should be provided with adequate perches and cat trees. She also likes a selection of toys.

The coat of the Turkish Angora needs to be brushed every day. Lacking an undercoat, the coat is relatively easy to care for as it generally does not knot or tangle. If the Turkish angora has blue or odd eyes, she may be deaf. In this case, she may have a louder voice than expected since she cannot hear to modulate the loudness of her voice.

History:

Anyone who wants to have a breed of pedigreed cat that is still being exhibited at a zoo should look for the Turkish Angora. This strikingly beautiful longhair cat still is kept at the zoo in Ankara, Turkey, where the breed is maintained.

The Turkish Angora may well have been the first longhair cat seen in Europe. In 1520, a longhair, white cat was brought to Europe from Ankara. This beautiful breed was fascinating to fanciers in Europe but was surpassed in popularity by the Persian. The Turkish Angora was then largely ignored and almost became extinct in Europe. If they had not been kept in the zoo in Turkey, we may have lost this breed entirely.

In the 1960s, an American couple visited Turkey. They fell in love with the Turkish angora cats in the zoo and tried to get permission to bring some of these cats back to the United States. Ultimately, they were permitted to do this and the cats were actively bred in the United States.

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