A hardy natural landrace from the Anatolian plateau, closely related to the Turkish Van and Angora. Often called the Anadolu Kedisi, it is a sturdy, athletic short-haired cat renowned for its love of water, its friendly outgoing nature and its exceptional robustness.
- Origin
- Turkey (Anatolia)
- Category
- shorthair
- Lifespan
- 15–18 yrs
- Size
- Medium to large
- Weight
- 4–8 kg
- Coat
- Short, dense and glossy with no woolly undercoat
- Colours
- All colours and patterns, often white with markings
😺 Temperament
🏡 Best suited to
📊 Personality ratings
📜 History & origin
The Anatolian (Anadolu Kedisi) is an ancient natural breed from the Anatolian region of Turkey, where free-roaming domestic cats have lived for thousands of years. It shares its heartland — and much of its ancestry — with the celebrated Turkish Van and Turkish Angora, but represents the short-haired working cats of the same landscape rather than a deliberately developed show breed. Turkish and European enthusiasts began documenting and standardising it in the late 20th century to preserve the region's indigenous cats, and it earned recognition from the World Cat Federation in 2000.
🧼 Care & grooming
One of the easiest cats to look after: the short, undercoat-free coat needs only occasional brushing and rarely mats. The Anatolian is highly active and intelligent, so daily play, climbing space and — a breed quirk — access to water for splashing will keep it content. It is sociable and dislikes being left alone, thriving in a busy household. As a robust outdoor-adapted breed it enjoys supervised access to a secure garden or catio.
🩺 Health notes
As a natural, undistorted landrace with a wide gene pool, the Anatolian is exceptionally healthy and long-lived, free of the inherited conditions that affect many man-made breeds. Responsible breeders maintain genetic diversity to keep it that way. Routine vaccination, parasite control, dental care and good nutrition are all that most Anatolians ever need.
