Turkish Angora - ballerina on pointes from swan feathers

In the Muslim East to the cats special respect. This is the beloved animal of Mohammed. But what breed belonged to that kitty, whose dream was so afraid of disturbing the prophet, that he preferred to cut off the sleeve of his robe? The Iranians claim that they are Persian, and the inhabitants of the former Ottoman Empire believe that it was the Turkish Angora. Cat breed, Named after the city of Ankara (in ancient times, it was called a little differently), is mentioned in the notes of Western travelers from the XV century.

In the 16th century, patron Pietro Della Valais made an unsuccessful attempt to breed two such cats for breeding in Italy. In the XVII and XVIII centuries, the Angora became very fashionable at the courts of Richelieu and Marie Antoinette. But the "Persian boom" that came then mixed both breeds. The restoration of the Angora was laid by the Germans in the twenties of the twentieth century in Nuremberg. With purely German meticulousness, they described the characteristics of the breed and later adopted the standard. In Russia, the Turkish Angora Appeared long ago, but the peak of its popularity fell on the Russo-Turkish war. Imperial favorite Prince Potemkin presented Catherine II with two "trophy" cats. By the way, there was a time in the homeland of Angor when the breed was almost blurred. So the authorities of Turkey issued a decree on the breeding of individuals at the zoos of Ankara and Istanbul.

Now about the animals themselves. What kind of cat is a Turkish Angora? The animal is small, very graceful. It moves as if dancing on the furry pointe shoes. In the world there are many breeds of long-haired cats, but the fur of the angora is special - over the body of medium length, and on the neck, "panties" and tail like a wavy fleece. And there is only an ostevoy 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 the modest size, the musculature is well developed: the body, like a real ballerina, is slender, smart.

In Russia it is believed that the real Turkish Angora Should be snow-white, but it's not. In fact, the standard allowed a wide variety of colors: cream, blue, red, black. And their derivatives: "smoke", "chintz", "tabby". The main thing that the color was one, without impurities, and the nose and paw pads were in the tone of the main suit. As for the color of the eyes, in Turkey the most appreciated is the "Ankara Cady": one eye of such a cat should be blue, and the other - orange. But this is a tribute to the veneration of the "Father of all Turks" of Ataturk, who, as is known, also had eyes of different colors.

In Russia, white cats with blue eyes are fashionable, although such individuals often suffer from deafness. Because of this defect in the West, it is forbidden to cross two white angora together, since from such mating 100% are born underdeveloped and deaf kittens. The Turkish Angora is also susceptible to yet another, only inherent disease: ataxia. It should not be discounted and a large percentage of the likelihood of a cat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. But basically this breed is included in the list of long-livers.

The Turkish Angora is an active, intelligent and inquisitive cat. She, as a rule, chooses one member of the family, whom he considers to be a real master. If your priority is a perfect order in the house, then you should choose an animal of another breed. In the angora as if batteries from the "Dyurasel" are inserted - it is ready to be worn and disgrace from morning to night. Her voice is melodic, and she often communicates with the hosts. Due to the lack of fluff, care of the hair is not a problem.