Turkish Angora Cat Breed Guide
Rare | Speedy | Silky. The Turkish Angora is one of the rarest breeds of cats in the UK but is one that charms anybody who is lucky enough to meet one. They’re agile and love their hoomans immensely, following them around like a small white fluffy shadow. Read on to learn more about this lovely breed of cat.
TURKISH ANGORA CAT BASICS
Average Lifespan: 10 - 18 years
Average Weight: 2.2 - 4.5kg
Coat Length: Long
Colouring: White is the most common, however, they can come in a variety of colours and combinations
Shedding: Moderate
WHAT IS THE ANCESTRY OF THE TURKISH ANGORA CAT?
The Turkish Angora cat is believed to be the first longhaired kitty to be introduced to Europe back in the 14th century. These silky-haired floofs come from Angora, modern-day Ankara the capital city of Turkey, and were often gifts from Turkish sultans to noble families in France, Italy and England. Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the French Revolution even owned six Turkish Angoras, and this is where Marie the white Turkish Angora cat from the Disney movie Aristocats gets her name.
Unfortunately, as the equally longhaired Persian cat made its way to Europe in the 1800s, the popularity of the Turkish Angora wavered and they became frighteningly close to extinction forcing the Turkish government to establish a breeding program at Ankara Zoo to revive the breed. Turkish Angora cat numbers began to rise and eventually gained recognition by TICA in 1979 however they are yet to gain the same from the GCCF and remain extremely rare in the UK.
WHAT DO TURKISH ANGORA CATS LOOK LIKE?
Turkish Angora cats are elegant floofs that have long silky hair similar to Angora goats of the same region who are renowned for their luxurious mohair. They’re most famous for their brilliant white coats which shimmer and captivate all that are lucky enough to spot one of these kitties, however, their fur can come in all colours and combinations. Their eyes can be green, gold, blue or amber however the most popular Turkish Angoras are those with odd coloured eyes, a harmless condition known as heterochromia.
PURRSONALITY OF THE TURKISH ANGORA CAT
Turkish Angora cats are speedy little floofs who enjoy showing off their lightning speed whilst zooming across the living room floor and jumping up onto tables. They’re certainly not lap cats and enjoy playing, jumping, climbing and even swimming. Yes, you heard that right, these kitties enjoy playing in the water and have been known to jump into the bath or swimming pool with their hoomans if they’re feeling particularly adventurous!
They love their pawrents dearly and form strong bonds with their furmilies, often so strong that they don’t like being anywhere that’s not with their hooman. Whether this be on the sofa, in the garden, in the kitchen or curled up under the covers with their owner, these kitties want…or need to be part of the action at all times.
ARE TURKISH ANGORAS HIGH MAINTENANCE?
Although Turkish Angoras are longhaired kitty-cats, they don’t have an undercoat so shed much less than woolly Persian cats. With this, they require much less maintenance and grooming, doing well from a quick brush once per week with a slicker brush. As they are an active and intelligent breed, they need regular stimulation with structured playtime and plenty of interactive toys and games to keep them busy and out of mischief.
TURKISH ANGORA CAT FEEDING REQUIREMENTS
To ensure the cat food you choose for your Turkish Angora cat is top quality ensure that it is:
- High in good quality animal protein from animal meat.
- Not sneakily increasing the protein content of the food by using plant protein like pea protein which is poorly digested by cats.
- Uses high-quality natural ingredients.
- Avoids artificial B.S. like preservatives, flavour enhancers and unnecessary added salt and sugar.
- Formulated to FEDIAF guidelines.
SCRUMBLES, THE PAWFECT FOOD FOR TURKISH ANGORA CATS
If you want to feed your Turkish Angora cat a highly nutritious cat food, that’s kind on their tummy and the planet, Scrumbles is the best choice. Here’s why:
- RICH IN ANIMAL PROTEIN: Our recipes contain at least 60% animal meat. You’ll never see any plant proteins in our recipes as these have no use to cats.
- NATURAL INGREDIENTS: All of our delicious cat food recipes contain 100% natural ingredients without any artificial additives, preservatives, flavour enhancers or unhealthy added salt and sugar.
- VET APPROVED: All of our recipes are designed by nutritionists to FEDIAF standards and approved by vets. Our wet cat food and dry cat food recipes are nutritionally balanced and complete and can be fed to your Turkish Angora cat every day.
- KIND ON TUMMIES: We use gut-friendly prebiotics or probiotics to improve the digestibility of our meals which helps your cat get the most from their dinner bowl. They also help to reduce tummy upsets and smelly farts and promote pretty poopies for an easy clean-up at the kitty litter. We also don’t use common allergens like dairy, soy and egg, purrfect for sensitive cats.
- KIND ON THE PLANET: We source our ingredients ethically and we only use fish and poultry in our recipes as these meats produce far less greenhouse gas emissions than standard red meat. We also serve your cat’s dinners in 100% recyclable tins and eco-friendly packaging.
