Breed information

The history of the Turkish Angora
The Turkish Angora owes its name to the Turkish capital Ankara, which used to be called Angora. It is one of the oldest cat breeds, and perhaps even the oldest medium-longhair cat breed. Strangely enough, the breed has only recently come back into the spotlight. They are very beautiful cats with an intelligent appearance. They are bred in many different colors, but solid white is seen as the original color. The first Turkish Angoras are believed to have been brought to Europe from their country of origin by Italian merchants in the early 17th century. Because they looked so luxurious, they were often offered as a precious gift to high-ranking and noble persons. At the end of the 19th century, people began to cross the Turkish Angora with other cats and the animals that resulted from it turned out to have an even more luxurious appearance.

These crossings slowly but surely displaced the Turkish Angoras from their almost untouchable position. They faded into the background and it was close to extinction. Between 1910 and 1920, the breed reached an all-time low.

In the zoos of Ankara and Istanbul, attempts were made to save the breed from extinction. They were no longer allowed to be exported abroad. In the 1950s, some Americans acquired some examples that became the beginning of the current cats. The first imports were predominantly white cats. Of course these also produced colored offspring. Both in the United States and later in Europe, the white variety was first recognized, followed later by the recognition of the colored version.

Maintenance 
The coat does not tangle and can be kept in good condition with a minimum of grooming. In general, Turkish Angoras, like most cats, are particularly housetrained and clean on their own and weekly grooming with a wide-tooth comb or brush is sufficient to keep the coat in good condition. In the summer they have relatively little fur. Only the tail remains reasonably full.

Personality
Turkish Angoras are active, extroverted cats with a distinct social character towards humans. Their intelligence is expressed when they have set their sights on something, they know how to open doors and kitchen cabinets in a short time. They are very curious, everything that enters the house is extensively sniffed and inspected. They are playful and enterprising. Cats of this breed are very fond of human company and sometimes tend to bond with one person in particular. They give a lot of attention and love, but they expect an equal dedication from you. In general, they get along very well with other cats and dealing with dogs rarely runs into problems. Because they have an honest and balanced character, they normally get along well with children. However, if they are treated too rudely or roughly, they will let them know, although they will not be rancorous to the children..