Cat Breeds: Turkish Van
Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a
purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you
would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider:
Turkish Van
A rare and ancient breed of cat, the Turkish Van was depicted on ornaments as far
back as 5,000 B.C. The Turkish Van was so named for its region of origin, central and
southwest Asia. The area includes the modern countries of Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Syria, and
eastern Turkey. Van is a very common name in the area. There is in fact, a Lake Van
which is also Turkey’s largest lake, so it is not surprising that Van was used as part of
this breeds name. In fact, this cat is known sometimes in its lands of origin as the
“Vancat”. Turkish Vans were brought back to Europe by the Crusaders on their return
from the Holy Land. These cats were called several different names during that time
including; white ringtail and Russian Longhair.
The first Turkish Van cats to arrive in England were brought in 1955.The breed
was initially called the Turkish cat in England but this name was modified to Turkish
Van later to avoid confusion with the Turkish Angora. The various names under which
this breed was known in Europe created the misconception that is was simply a variant of
the Turkish Angora. They are, in fact, very distinct breeds with separate histories. The
Turkish Van is very much the new kid on the block in America having been here only
since a first importation of a few kittens in the mid 1970s, but the breed only began to
take off in this country with a second importation from France in 1983. The Turkish Van
has since attracted a loyal and spirited group of breeders and fanciers.
Turkish Vans are unfortunately rather rare even in their lands of origin. They are
large and strong cats that are very intelligent and are very curious. They are also very
healthy cats. Turkish Vans are unusual in that they require three to five years to reach full
maturity. There is one other characteristic that makes them highly unique. Turkish Vans
love water. In their homeland, Turkish Vans are sometimes referred to as the swimming
cats.
The Turkish Vans most distinguishing feature is his coat. The breed standard
requires that Turkish Vans have a white semi-longhaired coat with colored markings
confined to the head and tail. Cats of other breeds who display a similar color pattern are
often said to be “van-patterned”. The coat lacks an undercoat and has a very unique and
beautiful texture similar to cashmere. This wonderful cashmere texture of the Turkish
Vans’ coat makes it waterproof. Another plus to their unusual coat is that it doesn’t easily
mat or tangle and so requires little grooming.
The Turkish Van cat is an ancient breed whose winning ways continue to charm
people to this day. Give the Turkish Van cat a closer look. These cats’ great intelligence
and intense curiosity could make it interesting and entertaining pet. This cat may be
exactly what you are looking for in a new companion.
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Cat Breeds: Turkish Angora
Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a
purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you
would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider:
Turkish Angora
Beautiful and rare, the elegant Turkish Angora is considered a national treasure in
its home country of Turkey. The breeds name came from the former Turkish capital,
Angora, now called Ankara. The Turkish Angora probably originated in the mountains of
Turkey. This graceful breed may have descended from the Manul cat, which was a small
cat domesticated by the Tartars. Turkish Angoras can be traced back in European
writings to 16th century France. The breed was enormously popular with French and
British nobility in the 1700s. Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI as well as King Louis
XV are said to have been Turkish Angora fanciers. The breed almost disappeared entirely
in the early 1900s due to indiscriminate interbreeding with Persians to the point where
nearly all longhaired cats were referred to as Angoras. Fortunately, Turkish breeders
continued controlled breeding of this lovely breed. In the 1950s, American servicemen
discovered Turkish Angoras at the Ankara Zoo. These servicemen reintroduced the
Turkish Angora to cat fanciers everywhere. All modern Turkish Angoras must trace their
ancestry to Turkey.
Turkish Angoras, though highly prized, are unfortunately rather rare even in their
lands of origin. They are loving, playful and very adaptable to many situations. This
breed is very friendly and outgoing. They coexist well with dogs. Turkish Angoras are
often the first to greet guests and are known to stick around to visit with them. Turkish
Angoras make outstanding family pets. This breed is also famous for its tendency to bond
strongly with one special human. Once that bond is formed, this cat will be an always
present, always affectionate companion.
Elegant and graceful, this breeds’ most distinguishing feature is its beautiful coat.
White is the most popular color but many others colors are available and are becoming
more popular with time. The Turkish Angoras long haired, single layered coat is soft and
silky. It rarely mats or tangles and so requires little grooming. Most owners do use a fine
toothed comb their cats a couple times a week anyway, to get rid of loose hair and reduce
the likelihood of hairballs. Being a natural breed, they are also very healthy cats.
These cats are highly intelligent and need to have lots of interaction with their
people or they tend to get bored. It’s a good idea to have another lively feline playmate
for The Turkish Angora to play with when you are away. Otherwise, she is liable to get
into mischief.
The Turkish Angora cat is a breed whose cheerful ways continue to charm people
every day. Give the Turkish Angora cat a closer look. This breed is considered the most
outgoing and affectionate of all cat breeds. This cats’ grace and energy would make it a
lovely and entertaining pet. This cat may be exactly what you are looking for in a new
companion.
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Spotted Cat Breeds
Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a
purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you
would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider something a little bit different:
Ocicat
The Ocicat were named after the Ocelot wildcat that is found from southwestern
Texas south to northern Argentina. The Ocicat, however, does not have any Ocelot blood
in them. They are entirely domestic bred. The first Ocicat was produced as a happy
accident in the early 1960s by breeder Virginia Daly who was was trying to breed a
Siamese cat with Abyssinian colored points. She did reach her goal, but in her second
litter she found a cream colored male with golden spots and copper colored eyes. She
named him Tonga. Her daughter called him Ocicat because he reminded her of a baby
Ocelot. Tonga was later sold as a pet and neutered.
Fortunately, the same breeding pair that produced Tonga later produced a second
spotted male. His name was Dalai Dotson who became the foundation for the Ocicat
breed. The first Ocicat, Tonga, was exhibited at a cat show in 1965. The Ocicat registry
was established in 1966. The Ocicat was so striking and unique that other breeders were
attracted and joined Daley in establishing this beautiful breed. The breeder continued to
focus ion Abyssinians and Siamese for their foundation stock, but some American
Shorthair was introduced as well. The American Shorthair bloodlines introduced a
beautiful silver color to the ocicat.
Ocicats are very lively and intelligent. They are also great talkers. They are loyal
and loving and tend to bond strongly to one person. Ocicats are very intelligent and will
make up new tricks to entertain themselves. Most of them know how to fetch. Ocicats are
another breed that doesn’t like to be alone for long. Again, a feline companion will be
ideal for keeping your Ocicat happy.
The Bengal
Unlike the Ocicat, the Bengal has wild ancestry. The Bengal was produced by
crossing the Asian Leopard Cat, a small wildcat with domestic shorthaired cats. The
name Bengal was derived from the Asian Leopard Cats Latin name, Felis bengalensis. It
took the original breeder Jean Mill, several generations to produce a beautiful cat with
domestic and predictable personalities.
In 1985 Mill showed her cats for the first time. There was some controversy over
the new cats. Some people felt it was unwise cross wild cats with domestics since many
wildcats are threatened species. Most people, however, were very taken with the beautiful
new cats. Mill was able to recreate a number of new Bengal breeders.
The modern Bengal is a wildly beautiful cat with an affectionate personality and
great energy. Bengals form strong bonds with their owners and become faithful and
affectionate companions for life. Bengals love to climb and will do so given any
opportunity. You will routinely find them on top of bookcases, doors and dressers. They
are very curious and will rearrange the contents of any drawer the find open. Bengals are
playful well into old age and will pounce an anything that moves. From their Asian
ancestors, these cats inherited a love of water. Some will even join you for a swim in the
pool or hot tub.
These very unusual cats are not everyone’s’ cup of tea. Give these very different
cats a closer look. Their unique appearances and lively personalities might just make a
great pet. These cats may be exactly what you are looking for in a new companion.
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Cat Breeds: The Siamese
Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a
purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you
would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider:
The Siamese
Famous in songs and movies, the Siamese cat was the Royal Cat of Siam. Though
their origins are uncertain, they were the companions of royalty and priests for centuries.
The cat was so highly valued that it was rarely given to outsiders. Siamese were first
exhibited at the famous 1871 London Cat Show at the Crystal Palace. People fell in love
with the new breed. Despite the difficulty in importing these highly valued cats, they
became wildly popular in Britain. The Siamese arrived in America in about 1890 and
quickly gained favor with cat fanciers here.
The Siamese cat is a real character. They are extremely lively, friendly, and
intelligent and they are very attached to their people. A Siamese cat is constantly in
motion. They seem to regard their people as belonging to them instead of the other way
around. They develop a lot of unusual skills. Siamese cats have been known to play fetch,
walk on a leash and chase dogs. One Siamese learned to play the piano. He sat on the
bench in front of the keyboard and used one paw to press each key to make a sound.
Siamese cats are also real chatterboxes and will talk to you about everything and
anything. When they are making a point, a Siamese cats’ voice is powerful enough to
bend metal.
Siamese cats are sleek and svelte in appearance. Elegant and graceful they have
long bodies, long legs, and long tails as well. This breed has become divided into two
varieties: the extreme and the traditional. The extreme is a smaller, leaner, lighter animal
with males weighing 9 lbs at most and females 7 lbs. The traditional variety is rounder in
appearance than the extreme variety though still retaining the breeds’ oriental elegance.
The traditional variety, also called the Old Style or Applehead is larger in size than the
extreme variety, with males up to 15 lbs and females up to 12 lbs.
Siamese are famous for their large, almond shaped blue eyes. The coat is short,
fine textured, silky and glossy. It lies close to the cats’ body. However, the truly defining
feature of the Siamese coat is its color. There are four main colors: seal, chocolate, blue
and lilac. There is also one pattern called colorpoint. The points of the body, the ears,
face, legs and tail are more darkly colored than the body. There is a strong contrast
between the body color and the points. The color at all the points must be the same.
Interestingly, Siamese darken with age.
The Siamese cat is a breed whose noisy and cheerful ways continue to win
peoples admiration and affection every day. Give the Siamese a closer look. The breed is
intelligent and very affectionate. This cats’ friendly and confident attitude can make it a
highly amusing family pet. This cat may be exactly what you are looking for in a new
companion.
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Cat Breeds: American Shorthair
Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a
purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you
would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider:
The American Shorthair
Originally known as the Domestic Shorthair, the American Shorthair is truly
America’s cat. The Shorthairs’ ancestors came to America from Europe with the early
settlers. Records show that the famous Mayflower had several working cats aboard her on
her famous voyage to the new world. Also, written records exist that mention the cats that
lived with the colonists at Jamestown in 1609. These cats were working members of their
communities and valued for their contributions to the well being of these early
settlements. Ever since that time, this breed has patrolled farms and stables for mice and
rats all over the country.
In the early 20th century, foreign breeds arriving on these shores threatened the
distinctive look and temperament of the native shorthair breed. Admirers of the American
Shorthair began acquire the finest examples of the breed that they could find. They set up
selective breeding programs based on these individuals to preserve this beautiful and
unique breed of cats. The breed was officially recognized by the Cat Fancier’s
Association (CFA) in 1904 as one of its first five breeds. The very first registered
American Shorthair was named Buster Brown. In 1966 the breed registry changed its
name from Domestic Shorthair to American Shorthair. The move was made to accentuate
it all American heritage and to distinguish it from other shorthair breeds.
The American Shorthair is famous for its amiable temperament. Its’ quiet
disposition toward children and dogs has made the American Shorthair a family favorite
for many years. This breed tends to be of moderate to large size, healthy, strong , well
balance and long-lived. They are independent, lively, playful cats that retain their
playfulness well into old age. The American Shorthair routinely is found in published
lists of the top ten most popular cats.
The American shorthair is an extraordinarily beautiful breed and comes in over
eighty recognized colors and patterns: solid colors, shaded colors, smokes, tabbies,
particolors and bicolors. One of the most beautiful color patterns is the silver tabby. The
silver tabby has dense black tiger type stripes over a clear silvery background. It way or
may not have white markings as well. So popular is this color pattern that more than one
third of all American Shorthairs are now silver tabby. This color is so striking that cats
that have it are often used in advertising or in the movies. The second most popular color
for American Shorthairs is brown tabby. A brown tabby has black tiger markings over a
brown background.
The American Shorthair cat is a sturdy American original with winning ways and
comes in a rainbow of colors and patterns. Give the American Shorthair a closer look. A
gentle, loving, loyal companion and also a fierce mouse hunter, the American Shorthair
can and has filled many roles over the years. This cat may be exactly what you are
looking for in a new companion.
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Cat Breeds: Persian
Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a
purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you
would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider:
The Persian
A very ancient breed of cat, the Persian was first mentioned in hieroglyphs
beginning at approximately 1684 B.C. The Persians’ beginnings have long been lost to
time. The Persian was so named for their ostensible country of origin, the great ancient
empire of Persia which was located in around the modern country of Iran. The first
known Persian cats to arrive in Europe were brought by an Italian traveler, Pietro della
Valle, in the 1600s. Persians became very popular throughout Europe. At the first modern
cat show, held in 1871 in London at the Crystal Palace, Persians were a featured breed.
The show at the Crystal Palace, and the others that followed, served only to increase the
popularity of this already very popular breed. Queen Victoria herself adored blue
Persians.
Persians are a wildly popular breed. They are, in fact, the most popular breed of
cat on the planet. Their long flowing coats and sweet faces immediately endear them to
so many people. Their personalities are gentle and affectionate. They are strong creatures
of habit and are most comfortable in secure environments with regular routines, but with
gentle support, they can adapt to a more lively environment if need be. Persians are soft
spoken cats with pleasant and melodious voices that many people enjoy. Their expressive
eyes charm people of all ages. Persians are built long and low with sturdy short legs.
They are not big jumpers but do enjoy lounging in their favorite strategic locations. They
can often be found beautifully draped on a sunny windowsill posing for sheer pleasure of
it. Friendly cats, Persians will seek attention, but not demand it. Persians have long been
a fixture in artwork. Their great beauty has earned them frequent roles in commercial
advertising and in movies.
Persians need to be kept indoors, away from dirt and burrs that could knot up
those beautiful coats. Daily combing is a must to prevent snarled fur and hairballs. Those
huge beautiful eyes do tend to do a bit of tearing. Washing a Persians’ face daily will take
care of tearing. A well bred Persian can be hearty and healthy. When properly cared for,
Persians can live to be 15 years old.
The Persian is an extraordinarily beautiful breed and comes in an amazing variety
of colors and patterns. The registry divides their colors into seven categories: solid color
division, silver and gold division, shaded and smoke division, tabby division, particolor
division, bicolor division and Himalayan division. Each color and pattern exquisitely
beautiful.
The Persian cat is an ancient breed whose winning ways continue to charm people
to this day. They appear in a rainbow of colors and patterns, one of which is sure to catch
your eye. Give the Persian cat a closer look. The Persian has long been a gentle, loving,
loyal companion to many people over the years. This cat may be exactly what you are
looking for in a new companion.
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Cat Breeds: Maine Coon Cat
Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider a
purebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its own
characteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what you
would characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you would
care to consider:
Maine Coon Cat
The ancestry of these big, hearty cats from New England is unknown. Most likely
they came across from Europe with the early settlers as working cats on the ships. Some
of these long haired ship cats apparently decided to disembark in the new world and
made their home there along with the new colonists. Winter in New England can be
extremely tough. Only the strongest survived those early winters, human or cat. Once
they settled in to their new homes, these long haired cats began to thrive. The Shaggies,
as they were called then, became a familiar part of colonial life throughout New England.
The Maine Coon Cat is a big, strong, intelligent cat. They are also very loving and
devoted family members and remain very playful into old age. Maine Coon Cats do not
seem to make snap decisions about people. They remain somewhat reserved when they
first meet new people or move into a new home. Once they have made their decision,
they become affectionate and devoted companions. Maine Coon Cats also have an
unusual fascination with water. They are known to dabble in their water dishes or play in
showers before the water has all run out. Once in a while, a cat will actually go
swimming.
Maine Coon Cats are gentle giants in the cat world. Males can top out at 20lbs
while females can reach 12 lbs. The size difference between the sexes is unusually large.
The females are no pushovers despite their lack of size. They feel they are every bit as
strong as the males and aren’t afraid to prove it. These ladies can be quite feisty. Maine
Coon Cats have broad chests with well muscled bodies and medium length legs. This
breed does not reach full maturity until they are four years old. This cat has an easy going
and affectionate temperament. The smallest part of this cat is its voice. Maine Coon Cats
speak with a high squeaky voice that seems entirely incongruous coming from such a
massive cat. These cats chirp, cheep, chortle, and trill as well as meow. It’s quite an eye
opener to hear a Maine Coon Cat speak.
These cats have thick semi long coats which are all-weather and water resistant
as well. Fortunately, the Main Coon Cats coat does not tangle easily. The texture is
surprisingly silky. The most common coat color pattern is tabby though they can come in
a wide variety of colors and patterns.
The Main Coon Cat is a breed whose cheerful ways continue to charm people
every day. Give the Main Coon Cat a closer look. The breed is hardy and affectionate.
This cats’ laid back temperament would make an outstanding family pet. This cat may be
exactly what you are looking for in a new companion.
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