The Real Angora Cat
This is a photograph taken in the 1930s of a cat my mother owned in Berlin, a white Angora called Peter. When I saw this photo, I immediately wanted a cat like that. Sadly that was not to be. There were no Angoras when I was a child and, now, the only Angoras in the UK seem to be those developed through a special breeding programme which did not include cats from Turkey.
The Turkish Angora cat is the oldest naturally occuring long-haired cat in the world and can still be seen in Ankara. the white Angora has been prized for centuries, in Turkey and in France in particular following its introduction by Venetian traders. Other long-haired cats around the world such as the Maine Coon may have derived from Turkish imports.
In the 19c heavier bodied, woolier cats appeared and were bred indiscriminately with the Angora until the Persian was all that was available. In the 1950s the Turkish Van (the swimming cat) was imported. This is certainly a lovely cat, white with auburn patches on the head, but it is not the Angora.
Get in touch if you think you can convince me that the cat I am looking for exists.
