The Turkish Angora has seen its popularity increase in recent years. The reason behind this isn’t clear but can probably be put down to the rise of social media and image sharing.
The Angora is, without doubt, a very ‘camera-friendly’ breed of cat, which means its features have been shared globally through the different social platforms – something that hasn’t been possible until the last decade or so.
Therefore, more people and particularly families are becoming interested in this breed, initially just by stories of its cheeky personality traits but then when they probe a bit deeper they find many other positive qualities.
These other qualities are the reason for this article today. When a family is looking for a cat for their family, one of the first questions asked is whether it is considered ‘friendly’ or not. Well, let me answer this one for you.
Are Turkish Angora cats friendly? The Angora is considered by owners as a friendly breed of cat. It is a breed that depends on human interaction and will suffer without it. It is not a cat that does well if left alone.
What makes the Turkish Angora cat so friendly?
There are a few things that potential cat owners look for when acquiring a new cat, particularly if it’s to be brought up in a family environment. For instance, the below traits could be considered ‘key’ to some:
- Aggression – although domestic cats are rarely aggressive naturally, there are some that show more domesticated traits than others. For instance, the Savannah breed can have strong ties to its wild past and perhaps wouldn’t be the best choice for a family – this is an exception though.
- Energy – depending on what type of cat you’re looking for and what environment they’re going to be kept in. For instance, a high-energy breed may not be best suited for an apartment but would be great for a family in a larger home.
- Health – when looking for a cat to bond with a family, most want one that will grow up with their children. So, they will probably favor a breed with fewer genetic health problems and a longer lifespan.
- Loving nature – many cats can be aloof. It’s what they’re well known for. However, without a doubt, some breeds are going to want your attention more than others.
So, how does the Turkish Angora fair with the above? As it happens, very well. For a start, this breed is not naturally aggressive. There are things that can be done to ensure a more ’rounded’ breed, however, and I’ll go into this in the next section.
The Turkish Angora does have quite a lot of energy and usually, this is a good thing for a family environment. Especially for younger children, they want a cat that’s going to be ‘fun’ and the Angora is definitely this. They enjoy playing and you will be worn out before them usually!
The lifespan of the Turkish Angora is long, somewhere around 17 years old on average. For a cat, this is very good. This number also tells you a lot about the general health of the breed. For the average lifespan to be of this length tells you it doesn’t generally suffer from many serious generic problems – result!
Finally, their nature. This is an interesting one – the Turkish Angora needs human interaction – this is a big subject and more on this in a bit!
Best way to ensure your Turkish Angora is friendly
The very best way to ensure that your Turkish Angora is as friendly as possible is to get one from a quality breeder. Now, this goes against what I typically recommend – which would be to get a cat from a rescue center. However, in this case, that’s unlikely – it’s rare that you will find a Turkish Angora in a rescue center – in fact, I’ve never heard of one such example!
So, the best way to ensure your Turkish Angora is friendly is to get one that has been properly socialized. What this means is that during the first 12 weeks of its life, it will be introduced to as many other animals and people as possible. This is the job of the breeder – ask them how they’re going to do it when you speak to them.
If this socialization period has been wasted, you won’t get the opportunity again. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t change the personality of your cat – it just means that it may take a bit of time (and patience).
The next best thing you can do is educate. I don’t mean educate the cat – I mean educate your family! Especially young kids, they need to know that the new addition to the home is not a toy and shouldn’t be prodded and chased around the home.
Turkish Angora cats and your family
The Turkish Angora makes a great family pet. However, they may form a special bond with just one member of the family (more on this below). Also, they may not be what you would call a ‘lap cat’. They will certainly want to spend time in your company – but not necessarily that close.
Also, the Angora is not a cat that is comfortable with being picked up all the time. Although to be fair, this could be said for the vast majority of cat breeds! They like to do things on their own terms and this behavior needs to be respected if you consider the best interests of your cat as a priority.
This said, it would be a challenge to get a better all-round breed for the family. If you’re after a loving, cheeky, intelligent, fun-loving breed of cat, this could be the one with you.
Does the Turkish Angora bond with just one person?
This is a characteristic that isn’t unique to the Angora. Often, a cat will develop a strong bond with one member of the family. This doesn’t mean that they won’t get on with the other members of your family!
This bond is usually formed with the person who spends the most time with them initially and gets involved in those things that matter to it. For instance, who’s the first person to get up? That person will typically be the one who feeds her in the morning. It’ll be the person they see first each day. It’ll be the person they most likely play with each day.
If you want to be the person that your cat bonds with, more than others – it’s simple really, be the person who does these things! If you’re struggling to get cats to like you then this can be fixed if you’re prepared to look a bit…silly. If you want to know the best ideas to turn your relationship around then just check out my other article here (opens in a new window).
How will the Turkish Angora show you affection?
Not all the ways that your Angora will show you affection are perhaps obvious to one that hasn’t a lot of experience with felines. Let me give you a couple of examples.
Talking
You may notice that when your cat comes into a room where you are sitting, they will meow. This is how they are announcing their arrival to you. You should respond in-kind by making some kind of positive-noise in their direction.
The Angora is a cat that likes to talk to you. It will appear to have a conversation with you, if you say something then it will meow back and so on. They won’t do this with just anyone…
Will they sit on my lap?
Often, a bond between a cat and its owner is manifested by them spending time in your company, possibly on your lap. This may not be the case with the Turkish Angora.
With the Angora, they will sit on the table or floor near you. Or, even on the sofa a few feet away. But, they don’t often spend time on your lap. It doesn’t mean they don’t have a bond with you just because they don’t sit on your lap.
What you will notice with the Angora is that they are usually somewhere close by. If you leave the room they are in, you will probably notice that they eventually follow you to wherever you’ve gone after a short amount of time. Note that this does include the bathroom – it is mandatory to let them in, whatever you’re doing – if they ask.
Can the Turkish Angora be left alone?
The general advice is to not leave any breed of cat alone for too long. However, with the Angora, this is even more important. As I have mentioned a few times in this article, they are a sociable breed that thrives on human interaction. They are not a breed that does well being left alone.
It certainly helps if you have a couple of them as they will keep each other company. But if this is not an option, try and get someone who also loves cats to pop in and spend a bit of time with them every now and then!
Conclusion – are Turkish Angora cats friendly?
I think it’s pretty obvious that the Turkish Angora is indeed a friendly cat. It may not be like a Ragdoll breed but that’s not why you’re looking at an Angora. This is a breed that adores and depends on human interaction and will provide you and your family with years and years of love (and entertainment).