The Turkish Angora comes from Ankara (formerly Angora) where several other animals with delicate silky long coats originate. The earliest written reference occurs in 16th century France and they were well represented in the late 1800s and early 1900s at the dawn of the cat fancy in Europe. The Turkish Angora was used in Persian breeding programs in the early 1900s and disappeared as a separate breed. However, Turkey considered the cats a national treasure and established a breeding program at the Ankara Zoo to ensure the preservation of the breed. They concentrated on whites with blue eyes, gold eyes and odd eyes. They kept exact records of the genetically sound breeding program but were reluctant to let their cats go anywhere else. In the 1950’s, American servicemen found the exquisite cats in the Ankara Zoo and carried news of them home. Eventually, in 1962, the Ankara Zoo allowed Colonel and Mrs. Walter Grant to have an odd-eyed white male named Yildiz and an amber-eyed white female named Yildizcek. These cats became the foundation of a new breeding program in the USA. 1964 saw Sergeant and Mrs. Ivan Leinbach bring a pair to Arizona: Sam Olgum and Aliya’s Snowball. Mrs. Ray Porter brought a pregnant odd-eyed white female, Belkzar, home with her. The sire of the kittens was one of the Ankara Zoo males named Sam of Mountain Home. In 1966, the Grants were able to import another pair: an odd-eyed white male named Mav and an amber-eyed white female named Yaman. Other cats followed in the 1970s and the Turkish Angora became an established breed in North America.