It’s an elegant cat, with a silky longhair coat. This breed, originally from Turkey, is one of the oldest cat in the world.
The head is triangular, with a rather flat skull and falling cheeks; the ears are straight and large with fleece tuft, eyes are large and can be in all colors matched with the color of the coat. The legs are thin, the feet are small and round and the hind legs are longer than the front legs. The tail is particularly elegant and long as a duvet.
In the 17th century, the explorer Pietro della Valle, charmed by the soft coat of this breed, brought some cats in Europe. The French aristocrats immediately appreciated this beautiful cat for its pure white color. A legend tells that Maria Antonietta, during the French Revolution embarked her turkish angora cats on a direct ship to America hoping to reach them. But she was decapitated and her cats, arrived on the Maine coast probably gave birth to the Maine Coon breed.
In the nineteenth century, after contributing to the birth of the Persian cat, Turkish angora experienced a sharp decline. This was caused by long discussions between some purist breeders who wanted to recognize turkish angora only in its original white color. But to achieve this, the only solution was to cross only white cats and this was the reason of many deaf kittens. The consequence was the rapid success of the Persian cat, at the decline of the Turkish angora cat.
After the Second World War, two american breeders imported a couple of cats, Ylkiz and Yldizcik, from the Ankara zoo and in America began a long and scrupulous selection work. Today Turkish angora is recognized in all colors, except for the chocolate, lilac, fawn, cinnamon, colorpoint and burmese. White color remains the most appreciated and can be obtained, in a smaller percentage, through scrupulous crossings between not deaf white cats and colored cats. Still little known and reared, it enchants those who meet for the candid vaporous hair, its elegance and its natural character qualities that make it cheerful, lively and at the same time affectionate.