Colors
All but colorpoint
About This Breed
Many people believe Angora is a cat with fluffy white hair and blue eyes. Everyone knows about the existence of such a common color. Angora cat has a sharp snout and large ears, an essential hair color is white and, quite often, cat's eyes are of different colors. However, not many people realize the Angora cat can be not only of white color. The first time Angora cat was brought as a gift from Turkey to the USA. Angora cats became a decoration in the houses of nobles. Later, the lower classes kept Angora cats. Angora cats were great hunters of rodents, but did not want to live on the streets. They are the real pets, and its pride is silky fine hair and very well groomed appearance. Americans liked Angora cats because of their quiet nature and boundless devotion.
Angora cat's hair has a unique texture. When a cat licks its hair, it becomes snow-white. Dry and long cat's hair absorbs grease, dirt and other plaque. Because of that, earlier Persian sheiks kept the Angora cats and used them as alive tissues. After the meal, they wiped their hands on these cats. Persian sheikhs called Angora cats Persian, without differentiating them. These white cats were also favorites of Richelieu in French court. In France and England, kittens of this breed were considered a very expensive gift, while it was the most popular breed, which in Europe was not known.
There is a national park in Istanbul, where the program has been adopted for Angora cats breeding as for Turkey this breed is a national pride. Angora cats have been under the control of the state for a long. Degeneration of cats began in the 60s, when the Americans took almost all the cats from Turkey and started to breed more sophisticated cat. In breeding, they used a rush of blood of oriental cats, and in 1978, there were a few Angora cats in different color versions. However, today, those cats are recognized worldwide which have the ancestors of the National Zoo in Istanbul. Standards of Angora cats in American Associations are not recognized. American type of cat has an effect, which was once there was a crossing with Oriental cats with big ears, but without fluffy collar and panties. Large almond eyes of Angora cat is also a consequence of the American crossing.
Traditional white color of the Angora cat is recognized worldwide, but other colors still make breeders doubt. In Turkey, Angora cat is the only animal that is allowed to enter the mosque, because it is white, and only if the cat has different eyes. As a rule, the Turkish Angora cats have one blue eye and the other one is yellow. This is because the Prophet Muhammad wore white clothes and had different eye colors. Cats of other colors are considered dirty and absolutely are not accepted by Muslim society. Therefore, only white cats were exported from Turkey as purebred. However, all white animals have heterozygous gene and in mating of two white cats 25% of colored kittens are born. This was considered a degeneration and such kittens were completely eliminated in Turkey. These actions served as the legend that the Angora cat cannot be of other color. American and European felinologists crossing them with oriental cats, received white and colored kittens, without knowing that white Angora cats can produce colored kittens, and its crossing with the Oriental cats did not always play the role of affirming. In Turkey Angora cat breed has not been lost, but in Europe and America the purity of the breed was lost. Turkish Angora cats have long silky hair and undercoat.
White Angora cat has always shown up for its unusual color, because there are less pure white cats in other breeds. Therefore, today in clubs breeders are not recommended to activate colored kittens, with an emphasis on the traditional white color of a kitten. Colored kittens are not exposed at cat shows, which allows to work hard to improve and sustain the type of white Angora cats for cat shows. However, different colors also have some popularity among people who do not know much about show cats.
In recent years, the number of Angora cats at shows and in clubs fell down. A serious reason for this is in the fact there is no advertising support from organizations, which protect cats. Foreign breeds are put on stream, they make money. There are only enthusiastic breeders who continue to preserve the Angora breed, despite the large flush of foreign breeds. Angora cat is the true gorgeousness of Turkey.
