Which Breed For Me?

Hi there,
I am a collage student and live own by own. I want to buy a cat but I wonder if there is any personality difference between the breeds. I am from Turkey and the breeds I can find are; Turkish Van, Turkish Angora, Persian and Siamese. I actually want a persian because I like the look of them the most. I also heard that they are calmer than the other breeds. However, they need regular grooming. I dont really want a shy cat. I also love cats that purr. I can also adopt an alley cat ofcourse.

Thanks for your help

In order of grooming (from a lot of grooming to the least): Persian, Turkish Van, Turkish Angora, Siamese.

Perisans are the quietest, Siamese the most talkative. If you like longer hair but don't want to comb every day - go with the T. Van or Angora.

Thanks for the reply. Do siamese cats purr too?

Also, does the gender matter? Do female cats have their periods like dogs? I searched for this, but couldnt find any articles.

All cats purr - some more then others. Siamese talk a lot (most do) so if you have quiet neighbors, then siamese is not the cat.

Females if not spayed will come into heat every few weeks and be in heat with crying, etc. for about a week at a time. They are NOT like dogs at all.

Males tend to be more social/loving then females - more outgoing overall. But it doesn't matter which sex you get as long as they are spayed/neutered. A cat that is not spayed/neutered and not used for breeding can develop cancer and other life threatening problems - like pyrometria in females. Males that are not neutered almost always spray a lot. Females too can spray.

Thanks, I read about the cat breeds and i liked the siamese the most actually, according to what i read. I dont plan on breeding so i think i better get him neutered. I live in a quite apartmant. My next door neighboor is in USA and she is a teen, she wont come till next year. However, people living down and up stairs are quite old people, I dont know how would they react. Do you think siamese's voice would reach there?

The siamese and snowshoe( a real breed based in siamese) s that I have been owned by could be heard across a few yards.. May I ask do you have a animal shelter or human society>??

We do have animal shelters here, i may addopt a kitten from there.

Hi! I live in İstanbul - Turkiye also, and as far as I know there arent many shelters available here except for the most infamous one at Yedikule Hayvan Barınağı, İstanbul ,where there all sorts of cats and dogs that have been abandoned. I havent actually been there but you can see it here :

http://www.yedikulehayvanbarinagi.com/

But my thoughts are that you want a certain pedigree breed , not a rescue animal, right? Well for a student I would advise you to get a siamese or Van cat out of the options you listed, since a Persian would be much more time consuming to care for.Their coats can be impossible to maintain ( ıve seen a lot of my "persian moms" cry!!! ) Turkish Van and Angora are good options but unless you find someone who is willing to give one of their kittens away for free they are a bit costly since the Turkish Van is faced with extinction here. In the province Van, you wouldnt be allowed to transport those cats out of the province. And to tempt people into owning a Van cat (to keep the breed alive) the government used to pay a certain amount of fund to those families monthly to help with the expences. Im not sure if they do that anymore though. Anyway, here the Van and Angora are quite expensive to buy and as a student you might struggle a bit. But as for their character, theyre AMAZING cats! My moms cousin had one until last year called "Can" (jan). She died from cancer at around 14 I think.

I dont know many cats in my life, but she was exactly like a human being, with all the emotions, the friendship, the understanding of a human. She also talked a lot too. But ım not talking about the loud talk the siamese do. I mean she would actually tell you if something was wrong or express her feelings in an incredibly humanly way! It was creepy at times though. And ı was only around her for short moments during visits. Just think of the relationship she would have with her "mommy"! Plus she LOVED water, which is a unique feature of the Van. No other cat swims like the Van!!! The Angoras dont swim but have a very good character too.

If ı were to give you my real opinion, if you dont go for the Van, Angora or siamese (which, hell, they REALLY do have a loud voice!!!) I would go and search for some close veterinary clinics who give away lots of kittens (tabbies, blacks, whites, gingers, mixed breeds, AND full breeds) that have either been left on their doorstep or abandoned on the street or ones that have been bought there by families who couldnt afford to take care of those little angels anymore! I adopted my tabby queen Peluş from one of those clinics when she was 4 months old. The vet gives them thier first vital parasitic treatments and cares greatly for them until they are given away to their new families and at NO cost!!!
Where do you live in Türkiye? I can help you out if you want. Just get back to me and Ill give you some addresses to vets who have little clean kitties looking for loving homes and mamas and papas

I am from Istanbul too. I sent you a private messege. Waiting for your reply.

I adopted all my cats as kittens off the streets in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where I used to live. From what I know (and have seen) of Istanbul it is much the same - there are so many unwanted animals. I would try and get a kitten from a shelter or from someone who is feeding a momcat and kittens. Mine are all the most loving animals possible. You must think though, if you live alone ands are out a lot, that any cat needs companionship to be sociable, and that if you have the room, it is better to have two, to be friends for each other. That way they will not cry and disturb the neighbours.

Originally Posted by ozadars

I dont really want a shy cat. I also love cats that purr.

Click to expand...

Not shy, but lovable --- You have just defined the Turkish Van. We have two. Samwise is definitely not shy. Molly couldn't be more lovable. When she hops into my lap for a "molly-coddle" (a tummy rub), you can hear her purr next door.

By the way, does your government now permit the export of the Turkish Van to, for example, the United States?

Good luck on your search for the purr-fect cat. Take a look at ours in our siggy.

Ann

Today, I went to animal shelter but it was closed. There is a place here where you can find many pet shops in a small area. So I went down there to see what they have in their hands and these blue eyes made me fall in love. He was so cute that I couldnt resist so I bought the himalayan. He is exploring the house right now; running, jumping... He is a real cutie! However, I am worried about his health. He looks very healthy and I checked his eyes and ears, they look okay. On the other hand, I dont thrust this place. Actually I dont thrust any petshop in Turkey about cats and dogs.
Well I am gonna tell you what has been said and done.
They said that he is 2,5 months old and no vaccine has done yet. So they did two shots after we bought him. I wanted to take him to a vet and get the shots done there but they said if you take him to pet, he is out of warranty. So my dad wanted to get the vaccines done there.
I wrote down the names of the shots to tell you. One of them is "Ultracorn" and the other one is "Dronsit". Do you know these shots? Are they correct?

Thanks for your help

You are right not to trust pet shops. You might want to check out this link on the catsite forum under cat health: http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_Health.html
Best of luck with your Himalayan kitty.

OZADAR I read your last message on this board after I sent you o a pm. I didnt realize you had already bought a kitty! Oh well, lots of congrats! I hope all goes well for you and your little Himmy!

As for the shots, Peluş's shots are all complete and she has never had a shot done to her called "ultracorn" but has had 2 "droncit" shots both before and after adoption. Droncit is the one we call "kist" in Türkiye. Its for the inner parasites. These certain parasites can be quite harmfull for both the cat and human beings. Its transmitted into our bodies via their fur which is inhaled into our system and it can cause certain health problems especially in women (particularly causes breast problems).
Every vet here recommends having droncit shots done every 3 months. Theyre not vaccinations, you must remember that. Theyre medicine treatments. Kinda like flea treatments and they only last for 3 months so they must be repeated.
The vaccinations Ive had done are :
1) karma (combination of Feline Calicivirus, Feline Rhinotracheitis and Feline Panleukapenia Virus).This is done in two sessions / two shots.
2) Rabies : you have to get this done (both by law and for you, your kitties and your human fellows health benefit!). This is done once a year. If indoor you probably wont need to repeat it every single year but most suitably once every 2 years)
3) Feline Leukemia ; 2 sessions / 2 shots

All the shots are to be repeated once every year. But ill probably repeat them again next year and then stop for 2 or 3 years. As long as shes indoors I dont think she'll be under any threat. After all too much vaccinating will wear out a cat.

I never trust pet shops. They only work for trade and the very fact that your pet shop told you your cat would be out of warranty proves it! What kind of booboo is that??!! The only certificate you should be recieving from that place is a certificate of guarantee belonging to your cat stating that its a pedigree! You HAVE to go to a vet ! Vet = loss of warranty??!!!!! Creepy...
Ahh those pet shops.....

I have never heard of a 'warranty' on a cat. A cat might be guaranteed to have had its shots, but since the pet shop did not do this, how long is the 'warranty?'
You need to find a good and honest vet!

Just like you, I could not decide between a Persian and a Siamese so I got a Himalayan, which is a Persian with Siamese coloring. (Click below for pictures.) I do have to groom him daily or he will develop matting and just not look as nice. Really though, I think the grooming issue is blown way out of proportion, I spend about five minutes a day at a set time and he seems to enjoy it because I give him a reward at the end.