Turkish Angora Cat
Turkey's national treasure — an ancient natural breed with a silky single coat, a plumy tail, and eyes that can be two different colors. The original "Angora" that gave all longhaired cats their name. Complete guide: the odd-eyed magic (heterochromia), the deafness risk in white cats, and the breed that was nearly lost when it was used to create Persians.
📋 Breed Overview
📖 About the Turkish Angora
The Turkish Angora is one of the oldest natural cat breeds, originating in the Ankara region of Turkey at least 500+ years ago. They were the original longhaired cats — all other longhaired breeds trace their longhair gene back to Angoras exported from Turkey in the 1500s-1600s. The irony: Angoras were nearly driven to extinction because they were so extensively used to create Persians. The Ankara Zoo maintained a pure white breeding program to preserve the breed. They are considered a national treasure of Turkey. Odd-eyed Angoras (one blue, one amber) are especially prized. ⚠️ Deafness: White Angoras with blue eyes have elevated deafness risk — BAER testing recommended.