Appearance
In Turkey, the Turkish Angora is called ‘Ankara kedisi’ and has become the nation’s favourite cat. It’s hardly surprising, because this muscular, long-haired, elegant cat weighing up to 5kg enchants many cat lovers. The Angora’s long fur has a particularly striking silky texture, whilst the lack of undercoat makes it lie flat against the body. As a result, the coat is very easy to maintain. The climate of the Turkish Angora’s area of origin is another reason why the cats in winter have a thick, bushy coat with a pronounced collar, whilst in summer the fur is particularly short, light and silky. This cat breed is perfectly adapted to the hot summers and cold winters of the Anatolian and Caucasian mountain regions.
The tail is long and very bushy. The elegant physique with long legs can make the Turkish Angora seem delicate, but don’t let yourself be fooled! The Turkish Angora’s head is V-shaped from the base of the ears to the tip of the nose, and the high-set almond-shaped eyes are a real stand-out feature. The ears of this pedigree cat also attract a lot of attention, with many breeders preferring large, open ears with fine tips.
The Turkish Angora’s appearance has changed over the course of time, which is to be expected considering that the cat breed has been known since the 15th century. It certainly has a long history behind it! Originally imported from Turkey to Europe, the cats still have a very strong, robust physique. However, breeders and breeding associations now prefer modern, slim pedigree cat types.
Only white cats were acknowledged up until the 1990s. In Turkey, the rule that the Turkish Angora must have white fur still applies to this day. At the beginning of the 90s, coloured varieties were introduced by the FIFé (Fédération Internationale Féline). Since then, black and red Turkish Angoras have been acknowledged by all associations, along with the diluted and silvery varieties of these colourations. As a result, even spotting and tabby characteristics are to be found. The colours chocolate, fawn, lilac and point are neither recognised nor considered desirable.
In contrast to other cat breeds like the Ragdoll, all eye colours feature amongst Turkish Angoras. There’s no relationship between eye and fur colour – be it green, gold, green-gold, copper, blue or two-tone.