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- The history of the Turkish
Angora -
The Turkish
Angora cat is thought, by many, to be among the most ancient of the
naturally-occurring breeds of cat, and the oldest longhair breed in the
world.
 It
is believed that the
history of all domestic cats, including the Turkish Angora cat,
probably began with the African Wildcat, technically known as Felis
Lybica. Still in existence in Africa today, the wildcat thrived on the
mice and rodents near the food stuffs of the ancient Egyptians. Thus,
Felis Lybica became the "barn cat" of Egypt, was domesticated,
and ultimately worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. Prominent in Egyptian
hieroglyphics, and even mummified with their humans, the cat gained a place
of great respect and stature in Egypt. It seems the Egyptians were the
first humans to see the cat for it's true, royal nature!
Felis Lybica
is a short haired cat. However, reasonable speculation and logic suggest that the recessive, long-hair gene originally occurred as a
spontaneous mutation in the cat, when it migrated to colder climates, such
as that of
the Anatolia region (ancient Turkey), where a fuller coat would be required for the survival of
the species through the cold winters.
A
less popular
theory suggests that the Turkish Angora cat may have originated with a cat known as
the Manul Cat, also known as Pallas' Cat. The technical name for Pallas' Cat is Otocolobus Manul, and this cat lives in the cold, remote and mountainous
regions of Mongolia, Tibet, Afghanistan, Western China and Russia, and
Northern India and Pakistan. Their coat is longer, denser and heavier
on their tummy than any other part of their body, allowing them to survive
the cold, snow and ice that defines their environment. They were
believed to have been domesticated by the Tartars, and later migrated to
Turkey.
From the early 1900s to the mid-1980s, the Pallas' Cat was hunted for it's
skins, with anywhere from 6,500 to 50,000 animals killed each year. In
the mid to late-1980s, they became a protected species by law in Mongolia,
the principal exporter of the fur. Their numbers have dwindled in some
areas as a result of over-hunting, but the species yet survives in the cold,
dangerous and harsh terrain where humans find hunting too difficult.
 Yet another
theory suggests that the Turkish Angora cat came from the Lake Van region of
eastern Anatolia (the ancient name for modern-day Turkey), and is today, the distant cousin
of the Turkish Van cat. The Turkish Van is also an ancient breed, believed
to live in eastern Anatolia for perhaps centuries. The cat is
named after the Lake Van region where it was found, and today, the color
patterning on the cat - white with color on the head and tail - is called the
"Van" pattern. The Van pattern can be found on many breeds of cat, but
for the Turkish Van, it is one of the main features defining the breed. The
Turkish Van breeds "true", meaning that within the breed, the color pattern
of the kitten is always a replica of the color pattern on the adult.
There are many similarities between the Turkish Angora
and the Turkish Van. Among them: The Turkish Van was re-discovered in
the mid 1900s. It is also a rare breed of cat, worthy of protection for the survival
of the breed. For this reason, there is a controlled breeding program
for Turkish Van cats in Turkey. Also like the Turkish Angora, the Turkish Van is
more likely to be intrigued by water (and is nicknamed the "swimming cat").
To be
considered a pedigreed purebred Turkish Van or Turkish Angora cat, one must be able to prove
the cat's ancestry back to
it's native Turkey.
Zirdeli Cats
thanks Karen Hooker of Pairodocs Turkish Vans for her permission to use the
adorable photo of "Piano Man." To learn more about The Turkish Van cat, visit
The Turkish Van Site - Pairodocs
Turkish Vans , breeders of exquisite, lovable and playful Turkish Van cats.
Returning to the history of the Turkish Angora, the
name Angora is the historic name for the modern-day city of Ankara.
Turkish legend has it that Mohammed (570-632) had his own highly regarded,
odd-eyed white Angora named Muezza. To the people of Turkey, the white coat of
a Turkish Angora cat ("Ankara Kedisi" in Turkish), is a symbol of purity, and white Turkish
Angora cats are considered a national treasure in Turkey.
In the 16th
century, primarily white, long-haired
Angora cats found their way to Europe. With research, one can find
notations of the Angora cat in Europe beginning in the late 1500's, when they became a prized possession and a status symbol for the
wealthy and the royal.
 In
a book published in 1889, author Harrison Weir describes not only a white
Angora cat, but also black, slate, blue, and even a black smoke (fur that is
white at the base
with black tips) cat, with white being the "most esteemed" color of them
all. Included with his descriptions, was this drawing, which shows the
cat very similar to those Turkish Angoras we see and cherish today.
In the late 1800's
in Europe, the terms Angora cat and Persian cat became interchangeable,
applying to all long-haired cats. Today, the only genuine "Angora" cat is
the Turkish Angora.
 In
1917, the government of Turkey began to work with the Ankara Zoo to protect
it's treasured Turkish Angora cats. There, a strict breeding program was
developed to save and preserve this rare breed of cat. In an effort to
save the breed from extinction through undesired out-cross breeding, the
government and the Zoo kept a tight reign on the cat, and it was nearly
impossible to obtain an Angora cat from the Ankara Zoo. A special
thanks to Harvey Harrison of Angorarama cattery in Costa Rica, for his
permission to use this photo of the Ankara Zoo tom!
In
the 1920's, "the 1st German Association for the Protection and Breeding of
Angora Cats" was established in Germany, making this the first "breed club"
in history for the Turkish Angora cat. The preferred color for the
breed during this era was pure white, and the breed enjoyed a period of relative stability in Germany.
But by the 1940's,
throughout Europe, there was so much out-cross breeding (interbreeding) between the Angora
cat, the round-headed "Persian" and Russian long hair cats, that the
characteristics unique to the Turkish Angora were eventually replaced by the
look of today's Persian cats. Then, inevitably, in the mid-1950's, the
name "Persian" became the official name for the cats we recognize as today's
Persian cats.
 Nearly the complete opposite of the
silky and single-coated, long and delicate Turkish Angora, the Persian cat has a shorter body,
called "cobby", and is lower to
the ground, with a long, thick coat and undercoat. Where the head and
face of the Turkish Angora cat is smooth, long and pointed, the Persian cat's
face, head and eyes are characteristically round, with round, low-set ears that lie
close to the head. The CFA breed standard for the Persian aptly
describes the Persian's face as having a "sweet expression".
Zirdeli Cats wishes to thank Gina Hargett of CotnHill for permission to use
the sweet picture of "Special". To learn more about the Persian Cat, visit
CotnHill, where you will find some
truly adorable Persians!
By the time the "Persian" cat became the predominant long-haired cat in Europe, the true
Turkish Angora was thought to have been inter-bred out of existence. But thanks to the love of the country of Turkey for
their beloved cat, there thrived, in the Zoo in Ankara, a colony of pure
Turkish Angora cats - just waiting for the right time and the right people
to participate in the re-birth of this unique and regal breed around the world.
In 1962, an American military officer and his wife, Colonel Walter and Liesa
Grant, were granted permission to take a breeding pair of Turkish Angora
cats from the Ankara Zoo, to the United States. Named Yildiz and
Yildicek (Star and Starlet), the pair began the first breeding program for
the Turkish Angora cat in the United States. In 1966, the Grants
returned to the Ankara Zoo and were permitted to bring a second breeding
pair of of Turkish Angora cats back to the United States. Following
the Grants' lead, others were able to import cats from the Ankara Zoo to
Europe and the United States and thus, the Turkish Angora cat was re-born in
Europe and found a new home in the western hemisphere!
To continue
with the history of the Turkish Angora cat in the United States and the Cat
Fancier's Association, visit our
Cat Shows page!
To read a well done and wonderfully
detailed history of the Turkish Angora cat,
click here!
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