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Known to be one of the oldest of all semi long haired
domestic breeds.
Without doubt was heralded as one of the most glamorous of breeds when
it was first encountered in Europe believed to be recorded as early as
the 10th Century. most origins are based on the activity at the time and
the place in which the first cats were found or bought over from. It is
believed that it was the Vikings that introduced them into Europe
although other schools of thought have suggested that their origins
could have been in Russia.
They were and still are revered for their pure white coat and blue eyes
A very much overlooked breed and would have become extinct had they not
been quietly bred in Ankara Zoo Turkey which as the name suggests is The
Turkish Angoras traditionally recognised homeland and area of origin.
Angora simply means from Ankara.
This conservational breeding programme was in operation for 45 years in
the early part of the 20th century at the Zoo before being discovered by
the western enthusiasts and breeders, who decided to start to breed the
pure Turkish Angora again, and cats were exported to the United States
for this purpose.
They had long been missing from the UK and only recently have they been
reintroduced as a breed in their own right - but are not recognised by
GCCF .
They are recognised by Felis Britannica, Fife and TICA.
Due to this breeders are not buying the Turkish Angora for breed show.
so have not gained their rightful popularity alongside the rest of the
Pure Bred cats. This in itself causes difficulties with finding suitable
mates.
Europe has recognised the return of the Turkish Angora since the early
1970s where they were once held in such high regard and have now
returned to favour and are bred and shown.
They must not be confused with the Oriental Longhair as now known.
Breeders in the UK tried to recreate this breed by artificially using
long haired oriental cats.
The idea was to create an Angora type, by the 1960s these were given the
title of Angoras .
This all lead to confusion when the Original Turkish Angoras were
rediscovered and reintroduced.
The artificially created cats were then called the British Angora (a
title that has now been dropped).
Appearance: medium build. medium leg length, wedge shaped head. Large
ears held upright on the top of the head following the contour of the
face. Almond eyes, sometimes with a round eyed appearance, nose
straight.
Coat: Originally white and silky they have only 2 types of coat hairs
the woollen undercoat being omitted.
New colours have been bred bringing with it the yellow eyes. Originally
they were blue only.
However, as their are no permitted outcrosses in the UK. It is a pure
breed only, colours such as cinnamon, chocolate etc. or colourpoints are
not to be found.
The coat is technically a semi long hair, longer at the main or ruff and
the undersides with a plumed tail in keeping with the length of the body
sometimes held over their body.
They do not develop a full coat until they fully mature at approximately
2 years of age onwards.
The cats are highly companionable, intelligent, possibly could be taught
to walk on a lead are more boisterous than a Persian. They are not so
vocal as the Orientals.
They are doglike in their devotion to their owner.
All content is based on information given and varies. We cannot be held
responsible if data proves at a later date to be incorrect.
Please check with governing bodies regarding their breeding policies if
thinking of showing and breeding.
Written by Penny
© 2007 Tremarie Persians, Chinchilla and Selkirk Rex
www.tremariepersians.co.uk
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BREED STANDARD
Revised 05/01/04 Turkish Angora
Standard, 05/01/2004
TURKISH ANGORA (TA)
HEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 points
Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Eyes .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Ears . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Muzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Nose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
BODY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 points
Torso . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Legs/Feet . . . . . . . . . . 9
Tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Boning . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Musculature . . . . . . . . 5
COAT/COLOR . . . . . . . . 15 points
Coat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
OTHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 points
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CATEGORY: Traditional.
DIVISIONS: All.
COLORS: All.
PERMISSIBLE OUTCROSSES:
None.
HEAD:
Shape: Small to medium sized, smooth, slightly modified wedge, with flat
planes. Eyes: Large, walnut shaped. Slanting slightly upward, with
an open expression. There is no relationship between eye color and coat
color, but clarity and uniformity are paramount. Ears: Large, wide
at base, tufted, and slightly pointed. Set high on the head, vertical
and erect . Chin: Firm, gently rounded, with tip perpendicular to
the nose. Muzzle: Should be a continuation of the smooth lines of the
wedge. Profile: Consists of two planes formed by the flat top head
and the line of the nose meeting at an angle slightly above the eyes.
Neck: Slim, graceful, medium in length.
BODY:
Torso: Long and slender, foreign in type. Shoulders should be the same
width as the hips. Medium sized. Narrow chest. Rump slightly higher than
shoulders. Legs/Feet: Long. Hind legs longer than front legs. Feet are
small, oval and in proportion with legs. Toe tufts are desirable. Tail:
Tapering from a wide base to a narrow end. Long in proportion to body.
With full plume. Musculature: Firm.
COAT/COLOR:
Length: Semi-longhair with slight undercoat; appearing to be single
coated. Medium-long on the body. Texture: Silky and fine, with little
undercoat; wavy on stomach.
OTHER:
Balance: Proportionate in all
physical aspects with a graceful, lithe appearance. This means that the
combination of the long body, legs and tail with neck, head, and ears
should look as though they fit together and give an impression of gentle
flowing motion.
Revised 05/01/04 Turkish Angora Standard, 05/01/2004
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The ideal Turkish Angora is a perfectly balanced,
graceful creature with a fine, silky coat. When you handle it, you are
struck by the contrast between the soft flowing coat and the
surprisingly firm, long muscular body beneath it. The Angora is a very
intelligent, active and inquisitive breed that responds best to firm,
but gentle handling. In judging the Turkish Angora, refinement is more
important than size. This should especially be taken into consideration
when comparing males to females.
ALLOWANCES:
Allowances should be made for the
following in mature male cats: jowls, a slightly broader head, and a
slightly wider ear set. Adult males may be larger than adult females.
Kittens and young adults may not be in full coat until after their first
winter and the britches and ruff may take 2-3 years to develop. Kittens
may have a growth bump on the ridge/forehead or the end of their nose.
Gentle slope in profile.
Lockets.
PENALIZE: Coarseness in any feature; broad chest, hips, or shoulders;
heavy boning. Break in
profile. Pronounced whisker pads or pinch.
WITHHOLD ALL AWARDS (WW):
Cobby body type. Oriental head or
body type.
Temperament must be unchallenging; any sign of definite challenge shall
disqualify. The cat may exhibit fear, seek to flee, or generally
complain aloud but may not threaten to harm. In accordance with Show
Rules, ARTICLE SIXTEEN, the following shall be considered mandatory
disqualifications: a cat that bites (216.9), a cat showing evidence of
intent to deceive (216.10), adult whole male cats not having two
descended testicles (216.11), cats with all or part of the tail missing
, except as authorized by a Board approved standard (216.12.1), cats
with more than five toes on each front foot and four toes on each back
foot, unless proved the result of an injury or as authorized by a Board
approved standard(216.12.2), visible or invisible tail faults if Board
approved standard requires disqualification (216.12.4), crossed eyes if
Board approved standard requires disqualification (216.12.5), total
blindness (216.12.6), markedly smaller size, not in keeping with the
breed (216.12.9), and depression of the sternum or unusually small
diameter of the rib cage itself (216.12.11.1). See Show Rules,
ARTICLE SIXTEEN for more comprehensive rules governing penalties and
disqualifications.
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