Wow, Cats In Turkey Can Be Traced Up To Five Generations, Including Place Of Birth

Turkish Angora cat illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Daly69)

JAKARTA - Felinology, which studies everything about cats, including their genetics, is gaining popularity in Turkey, the country of cats and pets, with cat pedigrees now also a concern.

In the last ten years, the Turkish branch of the international association has listed some 25,400 cats, complete with their pedigree dating back five generations.

Unlike humans' interest in their own pedigree, which is usually driven by curiosity about the past, determining the ancestry of cats carries the primary goal of studying medical approaches to diseases that affect cats, both physically and psychologically.

Nevertheless, it can still provide cat owners with something to be proud of too if they wish to find out, if their best friend is a purebred.

Erdal Emrehan Sakınmaz, secretary general of the World Cat Breed Association based in Turkey, said they are members of the World Cat Federation and want to create a database for every cat breed living in Turkey. Recording their pedigree will also help them determine the value of breeding and better control of animal care programs, he said.

The association currently operates a database that has more than 5,000 registered cats, with complete data on their features, ancestry to their birth address.

Turkish Van cat illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Helen Filatova)

"You can go back five generations and for some cats, you can trace back to 10 generations. This database is a continuation of a similar system that was established in Europe decades ago and we represent their Turkish paw," he said.

Sakınmaz told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday that there are currently 80 cat species registered by the World Cat Federation and Turkey has endemic cats, Angora and Van among those species.

"They are actually recognized as the ancestors of other species, because their history goes back to a much earlier date than the existence of other species," he explained.

He said pedigree work also explains cat traits and these traits differ between cats, even within a species, based on how and where they were raised.

"Angora and Van cats love to play the most and they always follow people. Sometimes, their tendency to play is too much for their owners. Persian cats, on the other hand, are very calm. They will not jump up and down and play like other people," he explained.

Sakınmaz also warns those considering adopting a cat to make a choice based on its species.

"Families with children can take the British longhair and shorthair as it is more social. Parents can adopt a Persian cat because of its calm nature," he advises.