Turkish Angora

The “Turkish Angora” is originated from the region between Persia and Turkey, around “Van area”. It was introduced in Europe during 17th century where it was most appreciated. During 18th, it was considered as a royal gift. It wa popular all over the world. Then it was used to create a longhaired breed, known as “Persian” .It was amost forgotten and nearly disappeared from Europe during 19th century. In 20th century, “Ankara zoo” created a program to save this breed. The Legend says that the Turkish Angora was so rare that the native could face death if trying to export it abroad & life imprisonment for foreign people trying to do so! In 1959, an American woman, Mrs Charles Weed discovered it in Ankara zoo and introduced it in the United States.




In the lake of Van area, the natural food resources are so scant that cats have to fish if they don’t want to starve to death (the fish of this lake is called Darekh - it is a unique breed going by the quite poetic name of chalcalburnus tarichi of the family of cyprinidae) and that despite the chilling fact that, the lake being located more than 5300 feet high, its water is regularly frozen. However, the Turkish cats lack sub-hair, a trait that actually insures the watertightness of their fur (a fur which, moreover, never tangles). This gave the Turkish cats (Turkish Angora and Turkish Cats of the lake of Van) their reputation of swimming cats. At home, if you feel like an urge of basking in your bathtub, it might be wise to close the door...



The quality of its coat and its character make it an exceptional cat. Tradition wants it white with an extraordinary glance (blue, golden, copper or wall-eyed) but other fur colours are not uncommon. Very playful and talkative, one of its favourite spots is coiled around your neck while you’re walking. Its very, very affectionate character will make many a willing victim. As in all breeds, the homozygous white subjects with blue eyes can be affected by deafness. This isn’t typical of the blue-eyed subjects nor of the Angora and although this condition makes even more affectionate cats, breeders avoid this defect by regularly crossing white subjects with subjects of other colours and by avoiding the mating of homozygous white cats.