Turkish Angora Cats

Turkish Angora cats are characteristically affectionate, loving, and playful. Turkish Angora cats and Turkish Van cats are two distinct cat breeds. Even though they originate from close to the same area, their differences are remarkable. While a Turkish Van is solid, broad, and muscular, the Turkish Angora cat is delicate and fine-boned.

In 1954, Turkish Angoras were introduced into the United States. The Turkish Angora cat had suffered from some indiscriminate cat breeding in early twentieth century Persian cat breeding programs. However, measures have been taken to preserve the purity of the cat breed. Turkish Angora cats registered with the Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA) must have ancestral roots that can be traced back to Turkey.

The outgoing personality of Turkish Angora cats have been described as “dog-like.” Much like a dog, Turkish Angoras will greet visitors and interact with guests. Turkish Angoras are typically energetic. Turkish Angoras may accept other pets, but may be domineering.

Turkish Angora cats are perhaps best known for their long, soft coats. In the past when Turkish Angora breeding was not controlled, all longhaired cats were commonly called Angoras. The longhaired coat does need to be brushed regularly, but it is not prone to matting like some longhaired cats.

Solid white coloring has historically been the most popular coloring for Turkish Angoras. When the Turkish Angora was first accepted into the CFA, only solid white Turkish Angora cats were allowed to compete for championships. Two years later, other colors were also accepted. Turkish Angoras can be solid colors, tabby, smoke, tortoiseshell, calico, shaded, or bi-color. The possible solid colors are white, black, blue, cream, and red.

The eye color is not related to the color of the coat. There is a larger variation of eye color than in many cat breeds. A Turkish Angora’s eyes can be amber, gold, or various shades of blue or green. The eyes can also be odd-eyed with one blue and one green, amber, or green-gold. The vivid, deep colored eyes are a preference in the breed standard.

The ears are pointed and ear tufts are preferred. The Turkish Angora cat is a medium-sized. The body of a Turkish Angora cat is long and slender. They should have a graceful, lithe appearance.