The Angora cat is one of the oldest breeds, originating from Turkey. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, entering Italy and France, and later England, mainly distributed in France and England. It was the most popular long-haired breed at that time. By the mid-19th century, due to the emergence of the Persian cat, the status of the Angora cat gradually declined. Currently, Angora cats are mainly found in Turkey, with very few in other places. The whole body has silky long hair, with four colors: brown, red, black, and white. White Angora cats are generally considered the purest. This breed is agile, independent, and dislikes being petted or held. Angora cats give birth, with litters of 4 kittens. Kittens are born with their eyes open and are mischievous and cute. The funniest thing about this cat is its particular love of water; it can swim in streams or bathtubs and appears charming while resting.

　　Physical Characteristics

　　The Angora cat has a slim body with a pronounced curve on its back, long and slender limbs, a long and pointed head, and large ears. The whole body is covered with fine silky long hair, with colors including red, brown, black, and white. White is generally regarded as the authentic purebred Angora cat color. The Angora cat is quite agile and independent. Eye colors often include blue, amber, gold, or odd-eyes (gold and silver). The face shape is V-shaped, and the ears are pointed at the tips but slightly wide at the base. The body and limbs are slender and long. Angora cats have a gentle temperament but are very lively and active.

　　The Angora cat has excellent day and night vision. In bright light, the pupils narrow down to thin slits to reduce retinal damage but limit the field of vision. A bluish-green fluorescent-like layer on the back of the Angora cat's retina enhances vision in the dark. Under flashing light, Angora cats' eyes can display various colors. Like most carnivores, their forward-facing eyes grant a wide field of vision. However, Angora cats have poor recognition of primary colors.

　　When there is only weak light, Angora cats use their whiskers to improve mobility and perception. The whiskers can sense very slight wind to identify obstacles when visibility is poor. The circle formed by the tips of the whiskers connecting to the ears corresponds to the smallest body width able to pass through obstacles, enabling quick terrain judgment in the dark.

　　Appearance: The Angora cat has a very long body with notable curves along its back. It has thin and tall limbs. Its head is pointed and somewhat long. Large ears are set on its head. The entire body is covered with long, silky hair in brown, red, black, and white. Typically, white is considered the purest color for Angora cats.

　　Body shape: The Angora cat has a slim body with a large curve on the back.

　　Head: Long and wedge-shaped.

　　Ears: Large and pointed.

　　Eyes: Medium-sized, almond-shaped with upward corners, colors include orange, blue, green, or odd-eyes.

　　Nose: Long nose.

　　Chin: Pointed.

　　Limbs: Slender, front limbs slightly shorter than hind limbs.

　　Paws: Small and round.

　　Tail: Long tail.

　　Coat: Glossy, fine, medium length.

　　Coat colors: In addition to the traditional white, there are black, blue, silver-gray, brown, red, bicolor, and tabby colors.

　　History

　　The Turkish Angora, also called the Ankara cat, is one of the oldest long-haired cat breeds, named after Turkey's capital, Ankara, the former name of Angora. Its origins date back to the 16th century, making it the longest-standing long-haired breed. After introduction to Europe, its noble demeanor became well-loved and it became a precious breed.

　　The Turkish Angora's country of origin is the UK, with ancestors being hybrids of Oriental Shorthair cats, originating from short-haired foreign white cats in the 1960s. It was only introduced to America in 1963. Since the 1970s, it appeared in cat shows and became popular throughout the US. To preserve the purebred bloodline, even the Ankara Zoo in Turkey strictly manages the breeding of these Angora cats. (Source：PetsZone)