Once thought to be extinct, the Turkish Angora is a pure, natural breed stemming possibly from the Manul cat that was domesticated by the Tartars. Later, when they migrated to Turkey, they are considered to be one of that country's national treasures and are highly revered. In fact, if you are considering breeding and showing Turkish Angoras, the CFA will only accept them if they can be traced back to Turkey. Early in the twentieth century, the Angora had been bred to Persians and became part of that breed known as longhairs, which was the reason they were once deemed extinct.

A lot of people mistakenly call any longhaired cat an Angora, but in actuality, only the Turkish Angora can carry the name. They also believe that the Turkish Angora is always a white cat. Not true; as long as the color doesn't point to hybridization with another breed like the Siamese or Burmese, you can find them in a wide range of colors from black, red, silver, blue-cream, blue, smoke, tortoiseshell, cream and all of the shades of tabby, although white is still the most popular color among Turkish Angora owners. They can also come with a white trim.

The Turkish Angora is so quick-witted that it can easily train an owner to do such things as playing fetch and turning on faucets so that the cat can get a quick, fresh drink of water. And if you own one and haven't childproofed your cabinets, don't be surprises to find your pet curled up happily inside your pots, pans, or linens. Lean and lithe, the Turkish Angora is an active cat that is medium sized. Fortunately, they do not have as thick coats, being single coated with no undercoat, as Persians or Maine Coons do so their maintenance is relatively simple with fewer tendencies to matt or shed. Some people believe the Turkish Angora is the oldest longhair breed and the originator of the longhair mutation in the domestic cat.

Turkish Angoras have a singular zest for living and can be wonderfully single-minded in their devotion to their owners. Don't be surprised upon returning home if you suddenly find your Turkish Angora sitting on your shoulders, without a claw out of place and purring madly, delirious to see you. They can easily make leaps, without running, that would sail them up to a nine-foot height effortlessly or happily perch themselves on top the refrigerator to investigate what you're cooking to see if it might be something that would delight their tummies.

These are gorgeous cats with long bodies and long tails containing fur that is all the same length, giving it the look of a fox's tail. They are fine-boned with a characteristically wedge-shaped head, beautiful almond shaped eyes, and large, tall ears that are ideally close together.