Anatolian shorthair
The Anatolian, or Turkish Shorthair, is a natural landrace from the Lake Van region of eastern Turkey — essentially the short-coated counterpart of the Turkish Van, from the same population and the same harsh continental climate.
It weighs 3.5 to 6 kilograms, is muscular and athletic with a short, dense, water-resistant coat, and comes in many colours including the van pattern of a white body with coloured head and tail markings. Like the Van it is known for enjoying water. It is rare outside Turkey and, as a landrace shaped by natural selection rather than a studbook, it is hardy and free of concentrated inherited disease.
- Origin
- Lake Van region, eastern Turkey — a natural landrace
- Size
- 3.5–6 kg
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Coat
- Short, dense and water-resistant
- Known for
- Water tolerance; hardiness in extreme climates
- Health
- Broad natural gene pool; deafness risk in white cats
Related: Turkish Van
2 anatolian shorthair photos, newest first
Living with a anatolian shorthair
White cats with blue eyes may be deaf. This is not breed-specific but it matters here because white is common: the gene that produces a solid white coat can cause degeneration of the inner ear, and a white blue-eyed cat has a substantially raised risk. A BAER hearing test settles it, and a deaf cat lives happily indoors with a little adaptation.
The coat is low-maintenance — a weekly brush, more during the seasonal moult.
They are strong, active and intelligent cats that need play and climbing. They are not sedentary lap cats.
As a landrace there is no breed-specific health testing to request, and general robustness is good.
Expect an interest in water and a talent for opening things.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
Worth reading alongside this
More cats by breed
Every cat breed somebody has posted a photo of.