Everyone who sees a representative of this breed is surprised at its beauty. Angora has long attracted and appreciated people. When for some reason the breed began to die out, the Turkish authorities opened a state program for its conservation and breeding in zoos. In this article, we will consider what is good about the Angora cat, let's talk about the conditions of its maintenance and care.
Historical facts
For the first time, Angora cats in Russia were seen at the end of the eighteenth century after the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish war. One version says that this breed impressed Count Potemkin and he belongs to the glory of the first Russian owner of this breed. The Russian nobility did not cease to be surprised that the animals had different eye colors.
Many creative personalities of those years were inspired by the white Angora cat, the image of which could be seen on the pages of various books and paintings. While the countries fought fierce battles, the Turkish cat breed gained unprecedented popularity, which remains a lot of evidence.
Actually, the Angora cat breed was created by a coalition of European and American breeders who took the wild Turkish animal from the Ankara Zoo as a base specimen in order to preserve the native qualities of the breed as much as possible. This event marked the mid-twentieth century. And the cat got into the zoo by the decision of the Turkish government on the need to preserve and breed rare species of animals. How could you not notice an interesting animal with different eyes?
The breed Turkish Angora was registered in 1973. Currently recognized by all felinological associations.
Angora cat - breed description
The classification of international felinological organizations refers to this breed as Turkish Angora.
Any owner will say that this animal is distinguished, first of all, by the priceless fur and touching eyes of smart eyes.
And from the point of view of felinologists, the representative of the Angora breed must meet the following conditions:
- a medium-sized graceful body, dexterous and strong, with well-developed muscles;
- medium-sized, elongated, wedge-shaped head;
- thin long tail, which is covered with fluffy hair;
- pubescent oval-shaped paws with tufts of wool between the fingers;
- graceful limbs, hind longer than the front;
- large slanting (almond-shaped) eyes with a blue, green or yellow iris, white eyes often have multi-colored eyes;
- ears wide at the base and pointed upwards; ears set far apart;
- straight, long and even nose;
- long, smooth, silky coat without undercoat.
Animals of this breed are not only snow-white in color, pure black or colored cats are found, which does not reduce interest in them.
The weight of the Angora male cat in adulthood ranges from three to five kilograms, and females up to three.
These cats live for about fifteen years.
Angora colors
Initially, only white color was recognized in Angora cats.
But now, felinological organizations admit other shades:
- Blue - is characterized by a monophonic bright color, darker is appreciated.
- Black - plain, stains and overflows are not allowed.
- Red - deep red color without ticking.
- Beige - a plain cream shade.
- Tabby - different stripe and pattern of rings, the letter “M” is visible on the forehead. Shades are allowed: marble, patchwork, red, mackerel, cream, brown and others.
- Smoky - in black and blue, white is visible closer to the skin.
- Calico - multi-colored with a predominance of white.
Not allowed chocolate, purple and Siamese colors, talking about foreign genes.
Lovers of animals of black colors will definitely appreciate this type of angora - the grace and color of the panther make the cat especially attractive.
The peculiarity of the Turkish black Angora is that the tip of the nose is also black (while the rest of the breed is pink), and the iris of the eyes is always yellow.
Raising cats
Angors are smart enough to understand the requirements of the owner and the rules of living next to a person. Therefore, with proper education from childhood, problems should not arise in the future. And if the cat suddenly begins to do what is forbidden - she protests at some actions of the owner.
The upbringing of a pet cannot be neglected since childhood, especially since the animal itself is learning with interest everything new. There is one caveat - he needs to clearly understand who is the boss in the house. A man must necessarily respect himself.
Animals are smart, easily trained, can independently open doors, jumping on the handle, bring slippers to their beloved master and do other things unusual for cats.
Animal character
Owners and connoisseurs of the breed argue that the main features of its character are sensitivity and vulnerability. These cats do not tolerate screaming and rude attitude.
Angora cats love to pay attention to themselves, always try to be in the center of events and be near the owner. They will not fail to take part in the conversation, carefully looking at the speaker and making a chest rumbling.
At a young age, Angora are restless, like to run and play, which must be taken into account when keeping this breed. Active with children, can spend hours playing with them in nature. The main thing is not to cause the animal pain or inconvenience. Having grown up, they like to regally recline on the couch.
Representatives of this breed can not tolerate loneliness - being alone for a long time, they begin to get nervous, which can negatively affect furniture and curtains.
The character of the Angora cat is so friendly to other pets that it coexists without problems even with large dogs.
Animal care
The main care for angora is to keep an eye on its chic coat. In the absence of an undercoat, curls are rarely formed, but weekly combing is required to avoid tangling of long hairs. Use sparse ridges with an antistatic coating.
For snow-white individuals, it is not recommended to use caring products containing mink oil - it can give yellowness on the Angora cat's hair.
Eye care should be a daily procedure consisting in rubbing the organs of vision with a cotton swab dipped in warm water or a decoction of herbs. You can also use special lotions for animals.
Equally important is observing the ears and brushing your teeth twice a week, also using the products intended for this.
The claws are trimmed as necessary. If this procedure is neglected, you can get problems with inflammation of the pillows of the fingers.
Water treatments
Bathing of Turkish Angora should not be frequent, it is better - as it gets dirty, if it walks on the street or if the animal adores this procedure, but in any case not more than once every two to three months, pure white - more often. For bathing, use products intended for use by animals, otherwise they may develop allergic reactions.
Four hours before the procedure, the cat is not fed, and the ears are protected with a cotton swab. The water temperature should be about thirty-three degrees Celsius, the level - to the abdomen. At the bottom of the bath, a rug or towel is required to prevent slipping of the paws. There should be no drafts in the room.
Often on the net you can find pictures of floating Angora, and despite the fact that cats do not like water. This feature distinguishes this breed from others - it is famous for its love of water procedures and has received the nickname "swimmer". Since the hair of the animal does not have an undercoat, it dries quickly and does not cause him discomfort.
Feeding Features
The Angora cat is not picky about food, but this does not mean that the animal can be fed from the human table - this is strictly prohibited. The sensitive digestive system does not perceive salty and spicy seasonings, as well as sweet, smoked and fried. In addition, the human diet does not contain those substances that the cat needs for normal development, and sweets and pickles cause severe kidney disease.
It is necessary to feed the Angora with natural meat products, you can add cereals and vegetables. You just need to avoid those ingredients that can give the yellowness of the wool, these are offal and liver, carrots, seaweed, beets. Boiled fish is recommended to be given no more than once a week.
The meat is given in boiled, semi-boiled or raw form, and for cats these are three different dishes. Also in the diet should be vitamins and minerals, special additives for a balanced diet. The entire palette of these substances contains animal feeds, especially premium ones, which are preferable to use than cheap ones.
A mandatory element of the daily menu is fresh grass sprouted from oats or wheat grains - it perfectly cleans the pet’s stomach from swallowed wool.
And always in an accessible place should always be a bowl of fresh cool (but not cold) water.
Kittens price
It is not difficult to get a representative of this breed, as it is in demand and known. For those who are interested in how much the Angora cat costs, it will be useful to know the following.
It is better to purchase a kitten from breeders in a nursery with a positive reputation, so there will be guarantees for the cleanliness of the breed, and the animal will be well-groomed and vaccinated. A thoroughbred pet can be acquired for breeding purposes or as a pet (sterilized), but in any case, have a pedigree.
The price of a kitten varies depending on its pedigree data, the availability of a pedigree, purpose of purchase, color, class, and ranges from seven to thirty thousand rubles.
Those who are not a connoisseur of the breed, it is better to seek the advice of professionals, since under the guise of angora, unscrupulous breeders can sell a Van cat, Angora chinchilla or Turkish shorthair.
When buying, be sure to check the availability of a vaccination card with vaccination marks and a pedigree.
Angorok diseases
With good feeding and keeping the cats, as a rule, do not get sick, are active, sociable and have a great looking coat. At the first signs of ill health, you should not do home treatment, a specialist will provide the best help, but you still need to know the main points.
Loss of hair in Angora cats can be caused by malnutrition without a sufficient content of vitamins and minerals, some diseases and old age.
Also, the breed is characterized by diseases such as ataxia, impaired myocardial function, problems with coordination of movements, deafness. The latter mainly affects animals of a pure white color with blue eyes (inherited).