Your Turkish Angora kitten calls to mind her romantic ancestors from Turkey, as she displays the regal good looks of her breed.
The Turkish Angora is one of the natural breeds in the cat fancy, most likely originating from the Manul cat domesticated by the Tartars. The breed eventually migrated to Turkey, where it is still regarded as one of that countrys national treasures. Though the breed was lovely, it would have been lost if not for the breeding efforts of the Ankara Zoo. The zoos methodical breeding program brought the Turkish Angora back from near extinction, and the proprietors were extremely protective of their cats.
While cat lovers around the world wanted a Turkish Angora, the zoo was reluctant to part with any from its beautiful colony. Finally, in 1963, an unrelated pair of Turkish Angoras made its way to the United States, imported by Colonel Walter Grant and his wife. The couple received another pair in 1966, and the U.S. Turkish Angora effort was underway. The Cat Fanciers Association accepted the Turkish Angora for show purposes in 1970.
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