Anatolian cat

Like the Van cats , the Anatolian cat is considered to be an aboriginal , natural breed that formed on the Armenian Highlands in the area around Lake Van (the territory was part of the Van Kingdom / Urartu , Greater Armenia , then part of the Eastern Roman Empire , and after the 15th century as part of Ottoman Empire and Turkey ). Taking into account recent studies carried out by groups of geneticists from the USA, wild cats from the population living in Eastern Anatolia of modern Turkey , are descendants of the oldest domesticated cats, that is, the domestication of the cat occurred in this region, and not in Egypt, as previously thought ^{[2 ]} .

Freely living populations of these cats are also widespread in the lower, warmer regions of the entire region, from Iran to the Caucasus and Iraq , including Armenia , Azerbaijan and southern Russia . Even being second-run wild and subjected to dedustication , cats in these populations are of great value precisely because of their proximity to the genotype of the so-called “wild type” of a domestic cat. The more cultured and domesticated the breed, the greater the likelihood of genetic disorders and inherited diseases. It is not by chance that Anatolian cats are distinguished by liveliness of temperament, intelligence high enough for animals, and good health ^[3] .

According to the standard adopted by WCF , this is a short-haired varietta of the Turkish van .

• Body: medium to large size cat, with well-developed musculature and bone structure of medium strength. The neck and chest are massive and strong. Extremities of medium length, legs round. Tail of medium length, well pubescent.
• Head: A medium-length head in the shape of a truncated triangle . The profile is almost straight. The chin is strong.
• Ears: The ears are large, wide at the base, with slightly rounded tips. On the head set straight, quite high and upright.
• Eyes: eyes are large, oval, set a little obliquely. Eye color is monophonic and in harmony with coat color.
• Coat: short, without noticeable undercoat, fine texture, but “crunchy” to the touch.
• Color options: chocolate, cinnamon and the corresponding clarified (“diluted”) colors (lilac and faun) are not recognized in any combination (bicolor, tricolor, tabby). Colorpoint (Siamese) colors due to the presence of the cs gene or the "Siamese factor" are also not allowed. Any other colors are recognized, and their descriptions are given in the "List of basic colors."

Recognized Colors

Despite the apparent great resemblance to Van cats , these cats are different from them, which is especially evident in their behavior, character and habits, although these signs are not taken into account in the standards. Totally white and odd-eyed Anatolian cats in Turkey are considered Van Kedisi (completely white variety of Vanish cat). Anatolian cats should in no way be confused with a Celtic cat. And the similarity with Turkish Angora and Turkish Van cats is primarily due to the large rush of blood of anatolia in these breeds, as well as their belonging to the same genetic group of cats - the Mediterranean genetic group of cats ^[2] . Although the descendants of such mixed breeding rarely retain those features that are appreciated in Anatolian cats by those who have at least once communicated with them: striking intelligence, sophisticated manners, tact, intelligence, musicality and sociability ^[3] .

Many breeders of Anatolian cats are primarily struck by the fact that Anatolians almost do not meow, like other cats. Rather, they make separate vowels, more like tweeting birds. Therefore, they are sometimes called "chirping cats." A similar feature was observed in Kuril bobtail cats, and, apparently, it is characteristic of populations of secondary feral cats that find themselves in long-term isolation from humans. It was also noticed that Anatolian cats like to play with weak trickles of flowing water even more than Van cats . Anatoliek’s favorite pastime is playing with rustling paper “balls”, and during the game they like to wear small objects in their teeth, especially if it’s a game with the owner, when the owner throws the toy some distance or throws it up and the cat brings the toy to its feet the owner ^[3] .

• Anatolian (Turkish Shorthair) cat (Russian) . (Retrieved July 10, 2009)

• Anatolian Cat Archived on April 2, 2012.

• Anatolian Archived on April 2, 2012.

• Anatolian or Turkish Shorthair . Archived on April 2, 2012.

• Turkish Cat or Armenian Cat? ( katzenzeitung ) . Archived on April 2, 2012.

• De Anatolische Kat (nid.) (Link unavailable) . Archived December 1, 2008.