History of the Turkish Angora Cat Compiled by Pam Jones
50 Million Years Ago
More than 50 million years ago, a small, weasel-like animal called Miacis roamed the Earth. Most scientists now believe that this animal was the ancestor of today's domestic cats, as well as the ancestor for other mammals including raccoons, dogs and bears.
(Left) Skeleton of a Miacis - (Right) Drawing of a Miacis
40 Million Years Ago
It was about 40 million years ago that actual members of the cat family first appeared.
That was ten or twenty million years before the dog. The cat was one of the fastest evolving animals ever. The cat initially divided into two groups: Hoplophoneus and Dinictis, both were what we now call Sabre-Toothed Tigers.
The Sabre-Toothed Tiger (Hoplophoneus), wasn't really a tiger at all, just a big cat. It was about the size of a lion, it wasn't very fast but it was a serious threat to big slow-moving animals such as the Masdidon. It would jump up and sink it's huge teeth into the neck of the Masdidon. The Masdidon died out and the Saber-Toothed Tiger (Hoplophoneus) couldn't adapt to the faster moving animals.
This was not the case with what is called the False Sabre-Toothed Tiger (Dinictis). Dinictis was a fast moving super cat, and believed by some to be the most direct ancestor of the common cat of today.
Sabre Toothed Tiger
5,000 Years Ago
Experts believe that all modern domestic cats are descended from an African wildcat called
Felis lybica. This shorthaired , feral feline resembles its modern-day relative, Felis catus. in size and in tabby striped coloring. Turkish Angoras, being among the oldest known cat breeds, still retain the tufted ears, the almond shaped eyes, the lithe body, and the muscular, lynxlike look of this wild ancestor.
(Left) African Wild Cat, and (Right) Turkish Angora
3,500 Years Ago
History credits the Egyptians with being the first people to domesticate wildcats from Africa. This took place between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians readily recognized the cat's immense value in protecting their grain stores from rats and mice and likely invited prowling wild felines to stay close to their settlements. As a result, taming or domestication gradually took place. During this early era of civilization, around 1500 B.C., cats enjoyed a long period of elevated status, and were honored in many forms of artwork for their skill in hunting and killing rodents. Archaeological discoveries tell us that Egyptians began to worship cats as household gods, and mourned their loss when one died by shaving off their eyebrows. They also mummified the remains of their cats for entry into the afterlife with themselves.
(Left) Egyptian Cat Mummy -
(Middle) Egyptian Cat-Goddess Bastet, shown here depicted as a cat -
(Right) Bastet shown in human form with the head of a cat.
Bastet, an Egyptian Cat-Goddess, was worshipped in the Delta city of Bubastis, where a necropolis has been found containing mummified cats. A protectress of cats and those who cared for cats. A goddess of the home and of the domestic cat. Bast, as she is sometimes called, was depicted as a cat, or in human form with the head of a cat, often holding the sacred rattle known as the sistrum. The penalty for killing a cat in those days was death.
Cat mummies were buried in cemeteries created especially for cats. An Egyptian farmer found thousands of cat mummies while he was working in the desert near Beni Hasan. A cat was mummified the same way as a person was back then. Some cats even had a thin layer of gold placed on their face when they were mummified.
While Felis lybica is widely accepted as a forerunner of today's domestic cats, how the longhaired variety of the cat sprang from these shorthaired origins remains a mystery. However, because longhairs have been noted in Turkey, southern Russia, and surrounding regions for centuries, experts theorize that the recessive gene that produces long hair in the cat may have occurred sponstaneously in the colder, mountainous areas of these regions. Then, the relative isolation in these remote locations promoted interbreeding of cats carring the recessive genes, concentrating the tendency toward long hair. Ankara, Turkey is also where the Angora goat and the Angora rabbit are believed to originate from. The word Angora being the original name of the city Ankara.
(Left) Angora goat fur is used to make Mohair, or Turkey yarn, as it is sometimes called.
(Right) They are also bred and shown much like the Turkish Angora cats.
(Left) Angora rabbit fur is also made into yarn. (Right) These rabbits are also sold as pets and show-rabbits.
As the name implies, the Turkish Angora originated in Turkey, where the breed is widely revered today. In that country, only the white cats are accepted as true Angoras, whereas in the United States many other colors are recognized, although classic white is the most common color seen at cat shows. Known to the Turks as the Ankara kedi, the white Angora is a traditional symbol of purity and is considered by the Turkish people to be a national treasure. Depending on who you talk to, you may hear one of several stories and legends that attempt to explain the true origins of the white cats and why they provoke such awe in that region of the world. Turkish natives often describe the rare odd-eyed whites as "gifts from Allah," while others simply say the white cats are "touched by Allah." Perhaps this belief stems partly from the fact that some white kittens are born with colored markings on the tops of their heads, the so-called mark of Allah." We breeders call them "kitten caps."
Photo of 1 black, and 3 white Turkish Angora kittens. First white kitten has no kitten cap, second white kitten has a small kitten cap, and the third white kitten has a large kitten cap. Kitten caps almost always disappear by the age 1 year, and kittens with them are always registered as all white cats.
The belief also may partly arise from the legend that Muhammad, founder of the Islamic faith, was a devout cat lover who is said to have possessed and idolized a beautiful white, odd-eyed Angora-type cat. The latter story may also help explain why Turks favor the odd-eyed whites, or those cats having eyes of differing color, usually one blue and one amber.
Credits:
Turkish Angora Cats by Karen Leigh Davis
5th. Grade Virtual Museum of World Cultures - Tour Guide - Egypt - Cat Mummy
