Turkish angora - ballerina on pointe shoes made of swan's down

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

In the Muslim East, special respect is given to cats. This is the favorite animal of Mohammed. But to what breed did that kitty belong, whose sleep the prophet was so afraid to disturb that he preferred to cut off the sleeve of his robe? The Iranians claim that it is Persian, and the inhabitants of the former Ottoman Empire believe that it was a Turkish angora. The cat breed, named after the city of Ankara (in ancient times it was called a little differently), has been mentioned in the notes of Western travelers since the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the philanthropist Pietro Della Vale made an unsuccessful attempt to bring two of these cats for breeding in Italy. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the angora became very fashionable at the courts of Richelieu and Marie Antoinette. But then came the "Persian boom" mixed both breeds. Angoras were restored by the Germans in the 1920s in Nuremberg. With a purely Germanic meticulousness they described the characteristics of the breed and later adopted the standard. In Russia, the Turkish Angora appeared a long time ago, but the peak of its popularity fell on the Russian-Turkish war. Imperial favorite Prince Potemkinpresented Catherine II with two "trophy" cats. By the way, in the homeland of the Angor there was a time when the breed was almost washed out. So the Turkish authorities issued a decree on breeding individuals at the zoos of Ankara and Istanbul.

Now about the animals themselves. What kind of cat is this - Turkish Angora? The animal is small, very graceful. It moves as if dancing on fluffy pointe shoes. There are many breeds of long-haired cats in the world, but the angora coat is special - it has a medium length on the body, and on the neck, "panties" and tail like a wavy fleece. And there is only outer hair, without the slightest undercoat! The natural grace of the Turkish woman is only emphasized by long paws with round pads, a small pointed muzzle and large ears. Despite her modest size, her muscles are well developed: the body, like a real ballerina, is slender, toned.

In Russia, it is believed that the real Turkish Angora should be snow-white, but this is not so. In fact, the standard allows a wide variety of colors: cream, blue, red, black. And also their derivatives: “smoke”, “chintz”, “tabby”. The main thing is that the color should be one, without impurities, and the nose and paw pads should be in tone with the main suit. As for the color of the eyes, the most valued in Turkey is the “ankara kedi”: one eye of such a cat should be blue, and the other orange. But this is a tribute to the "Father of all Turks" Atatürk, who, as you know, also had eyes of different colors.

White cats are fashionable in Russia withblue eyes, although such individuals quite often suffer from deafness. Because of this defect, it is forbidden in the West to cross two white Angoras together, since such mating is 100% underdeveloped and deaf kittens are born. Turkish Angoras are also prone to another disease that is unique to them: ataxia. Do not discount the high percentage of the likelihood of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. But mostly this breed is included in the list of centenarians.

The Turkish Angora is an active, intelligent and inquisitive cat. She, as a rule, chooses one member of the family, whom she considers the real owner. If your priority is impeccable order in the house, then you should choose an animal of a different breed. It is as if batteries from "Durasel" are inserted into the angora - it is ready to rush and misbehave from morning to evening. Her voice is melodious, and she often communicates with the owners. Due to the lack of fluff, grooming is no problem.