The German Longhair Cat and the German Angora Cat share a tangled history, which includes a deviation through the Traditional Long Hair (Original), the European Long Hair and the German Forest Cat, before eventually becoming a single breed of "German Longhaired Cat".

The German Longhair Cat has waited a long time to be recognized internationally, although since 1929 there is a breed standard and a point scale. The only thing that was missing until a few years ago was a registered breed that corresponded to this standard.. After the 2nd World War, that interrupted cat breeding in Germany, the only indigenous breed of German longhair cat was considered extinct.

In the beginning there was the Cat of Angora which was imported to Europe. Through crossing with other long-haired cats it became the Persian, although the term "angora" became a generic term meaning "long hair". From the Decade of 1920, the preferred conformation in England and France gave rise to the cats we now call Persian Cats "old style", that is to say, They were "Persians with a nose", as opposed to modern brachycephalic Persians (flat-faced).

Long-haired cats in Germany were generically called Angoras and they were raised for the color, not by conformation. Biologist and zoologist Dr.. Friedrich Schwangart (1874-1958) criticized that, in general, did not meet the “Hochzuchtperser” standard ("high breed Persian") seen in british persians, so he created separate standards for the Persian cat and the German Longhair Cat in 1929, describing the differences between the two types. From that moment on, the breeders of «Angoras» had to decide whether to breed British-style Persians or more natural-looking German longhairs. Schwangart hoped that the German Longhair Cat, with your hair silkier and easier to wash, became the most natural counterpart of the Persian cat who had been raised in Britain for decades. The German Longhair Cat was exhibited and recognized for the first time at the national level at the Exhibition of the Federation for the Breeding and Protection of Cats in 1930 In Berlin. In the following years it was seen frequently in cat shows and in 1932, the German Longhair Cat «Fox of the Rhine Castle», owned by Dr. Heine en Leipzig, became a federal winner.

With the standards established in 1929, the types of long-haired cats were divided into 2 categories in the «Classification, Pedigrees and Systems of House Cats" and these should not be crossed to maintain their different types (in Britain, the first Persian Cats, Angoras and long-haired british natives they had interbred to create a single Long haired persian). There was more information in the Schwangart post of 1932 «Training and breeding of domestic cats (results and problems)», in which it was pointed out that other long-haired breeds were the german long hair founded by Schwangart himself and, in the previous two years, the Burmese breed appeared in Paris (that is to say, the Khmer / Birman).

In May of 1935 breeding was officially allowed German Longhair Cat under the auspices of the single state society “Katzenverein des Deutschen Reiches” (German Reich Cat Club), which was the only breeding club at that time. It was grouped in the long-haired class along with the Persian Cat and the Burmese cat, and followed the Schwangart standard. In October of 1939 was recognized by the Confédération Internationale Féline (CIF) como "Borealis" o "Boreali" («Norte»). The CIF was the predecessor of the Fédération Internationale Feline (FIFe) and had been founded by the Societa Felina Italiana, the Paris Cat Club and the Swiss Federation. World War II interrupted the breeding program and the German Longhair stagnated for several years before, apparently, to become extinct. After the Second World War, the DEKZV, the only cat breeding club in Germany until 1969, he again used the race name «Angora«. Until 1965, the German Longhair Cat (which lost most of its players during the war) and the Persian cat they were bred under the same name and the old standard, that he did not distinguish the races according to their conformation.

Unlike in the Persian cat, the German Longhair Cat was not sponsored by a feline association, possibly due to hostility between then-board members and Schwangart. In 1965, the name of the breed «Angora" He was removed, leaving only the Persian cat. The German Longhair Cat it was simply forgotten. When the german longhaired got going again, there was a debate on the name of the breed: ¿German Angora cat or German Longhair Cat? For a time, the German Angora cat he was raised like him Domestic long-haired cat, and the German Longhair Cat it was the traditional long hair (original).

Dagmar Thies reported in 1979 that Mrs.. Renate Aschemeier had managed to locate german longhair cats from original bloodlines and had bred them at the Blasheimer factory since 1968. These cats were considered very typical representatives of the breed and later their descendants would be useful in re-establishing the breed..

The German Angora cat he grew up with that name since the year 2000, but it was not recognized by any feline association and, on the other hand, it was a registered trademark. The breeders of the German Angora cat they affirm that there is no german longhair cats authentic because they have become extinct. The history of modern breeding of the German Angora/longhair cat began in the year 2000 with Dr.. With. Brigitte Leonhard with her long-haired white cat Shiva. According to Bettina Muenter, Shiva was born on a farm in September 2000. The conditions were very poor, but Münter got two white kittens: a strange-eyed white female they named Shiva and a male named Romeo. Unfortunately, Romeo's errant tendencies forced him to be castrated.

In 2001 came across a Burmese black cat x Domestic called Bommel, and then, in 2002, with a Persian cat blue. This sowed the seed of the recreation of the «German Angora cat» that Prof.. Friedrich Schwangart called “German long hair” (Deutsche Langhaar).

In 2003, la Sra. Münter bought two stallions British shorthair, and the sharp purple "Alfons of Golden Kennel" (Rossini) played a special role in founding the German angora cat.

In 2004, Rossini crossed with Shiva and gave rise to a silvery blue torbie, Ashanti (later renamed "Isis"), what happened to Britta Steckelbach, and a short haired sister named Askara. The Sra. Steckelbach crossed Ashanti with the British Longhair “Jo-Jo of Sandokan”. The two women decided to create a race, but after discussing it with an important association they decided that their ideas did not fit with established feline fashion, So they founded the “German Angora Cat Club.” (GACC) in 2005 with other interested breeders who wanted to create a natural feline breed.

In 2005 there was a growing number of breeders interested in preserving or recreating the German Longhair Cat under the name of German Angora cat. They found foundation cats among free-range farm cats that approached the standard of German long hair de Schwangart. The herd book of the German Angora cat opened in 2005. The names of the founding kennels were Bettina Münter («vom Allerfeinsten») y el de Britta Steckelbach («of Mystic German Angoras»). (Although Mrs.. Munter claimed that there was no place for them in the established feline, Anneliese Hackmann, President of the German Edelkatze eV and the WCF, supported his vision from the start).

In 2006 the GACC was affiliated with the WCF and the development of the breed was more focused. Unfortunately, there were disagreements over foundation animals and breeding plans. The Sra. Hackmann suggested that breeders dissatisfied with the GACC move to Deutsche Edelkatze eV. In response, la Sra. Münter and Mrs.. Steckelbach registered the name «German Angora cat» to prevent long haired mixed breeds from being passed off as German Angoras. Only GACC breeders could use the name. Breeders who had joined Deutsche Edelkatze eV needed a new name for their breed. They also rewrote the pedigrees so that the ancestors of the German Angora cat were retrospectively documented as German long hair. German longhairs obtained formal recognition (a sore point with the breeders of Angora Alemán), so the German Angora cat Happened to be called European longhair cat to gain recognition as a long-haired equivalent of the European shorthair cat.

Until 2007, when the German Longhair Cat, the Angora Alemán and the german longhaired they were considered synonyms of the same race. The German Longhair Cat was bred to fit the old image. Both breeds were described as very similar and both had been crossed with Persian Cats old-fashioned to improve conformation and coat. the Board of Directors of the first Cat Club of German Angora discarded the idea that they were the same race, which led to a dispute that divided the group of breeders. In 2009, el GACC (including its founders, Bettina Munter y Britta Steckelbach) applied for recognition of the German Angora, but it was rejected. Munter and Steckelbach tried to put obstacles to the breeders of the German Longhair Cat, but they finally lost in a legal battle.

In 2010 the German Longhair Cat sought breed recognition and several cats were evaluated at a Deutsche Edelkatze exhibition in Grefrath-Oedt. Unfortunately, WCF rejected application for recognition. WCF recognized the Traditional Long Hair (TLH, renamed as Original Long Hair due to trademark issues over a paper record that prefixed numerous breed names with “Traditional”) presented by South African breeders. This breed was an old-style Persian in the Silver and Gold color series. A WCF judge suggested that Original Longhair could be seen as a collective name for primitive longhaired cats and suggested that the Long German Hair should be considered part of that group. This was rejected by most breeders of the German Longhair Cat because the vision of Prof. Schwangart was that of a cat other than the old type Persian. A few raised and exhibited their cats as TLH, but many stayed with the name of German Longhair Cat.

The «Deutsch Langhaar» (DLH, long hair german), with its distinctive type and not Persian, was finally recognized by the WCF at the general assembly of 2012 with a revised standard that, However, still based on Schwangart's description. The few breeders who had tried to obtain recognition through the traditional way (original) long-haired could now raise the German Longhair Cat. In the same general assembly, WCF also recognized TLHs in all other colors.

In 2012, the breeders of German Angora cat they again requested the recognition of their cats, this time under the name of European Long Hair, and with the support of the Internationaler Royal Cat Club (IRCC) y de Mr Stein. The European Long Hair was recognized and the standard was the same as that of the European shorthair cat, except for fur length. Not all german angoras they met that standard. To accommodate the breed name change, The German Angora Cat Club changed its name to the German Cat Club. In 2013, the IRCC and the Katzenverein Leverkusen e.V. (KVL) agreed to treat the European longhair cat and to the one of German long hair due to their similar breeding goals and common ancestry. Ancestral cats were fully recognized without being considered "experimental". Depending on the association, descendants could be registered as German Longhair Cat or European Long Hair. But, in 2014, Herr Stein revoked the recognition of the European Long Hair and, default, the German Angoras they became Long Hair German. The clubs associated with each breed eventually agreed that the two breeds were equivalent.. The German Cat Club (GACC) appears to be inactive since 2014 and in July 2015 there were hardly any breeders of «German Angora cat«.

By the standards of the time, both the Persian Cats as the German longhair cats they had a compact conformation, short sturdy legs, a broad head with a relatively short and wide muzzle and moderately small ears (similar to those of the European wildcat). Both had rather short, well-carried tails., level back and long coat (with age differences, seasonal coat and pregnancy to watch out for). And in both cases a "half Angora" type with a slender body or a narrow, pointed face was not desirable..

But, the Persian cat was described as thicker, with a rounded head and a prominent forehead that fell sharply towards a wide, short snout that gave an "angry" expression. (that is to say, a shorter face). The coat of the Persian cat it was denser and woolly, with a well developed collar, and cats were bred with size and density in mind. In contrast to the Persian cat, the German Longhair Cat had a more moderate head: a less prominent and tapered forehead that gently curved upward from a longer nose with a gentler slant. The conformation was less compact, the movement more fluid and the tail longer than that of the Persian. In essence, the German Longhair Cat did not allow the short face and prominent forehead of the Persian cat and in profile the face resembled that of the Short Brindle Hair.

The German Longhair Cat it was in the same colors and patterns as the Persian: monocolor/autocolor (black, blue, cream, Red and white), bicolor, tortoisehsells (with or without white), «masks» (colourpoints), smoked, Chinchilla (tipped), peach (smoky red / cameo), silvers and tabbies both “tiger” (mackerel) like "marble" (Classic).

The description given for the "German Longhair Cat" it was that of a cat with a gently sloping forehead, not bulky or too round, traveling a flat curve or with a slight drop to the arch of the nose. Somewhat long nasal bridge, straight or very slightly arched. Wide snout, not pointed. This head is a companion of the S.H. Tabby. The structure is less rough, "The tail is longer and the action is freer than in the Persian.".

In his latest work «Overview and description of domestic cat breeds» (1954), Schwangart described in detail the German Longhair Cat, pointing out the existence of intermediate forms between the Persian and the German Longhair Cat that were in some of the colors, and the need to eliminate intermediates to reestablish the 2 races as different from each other. It is clear that Persians they had grown up together, perhaps due to the difficulties of maintaining the races in times of war, perhaps to improve the traits of one or another breed or perhaps due to ignorance that they had originally been separate breeds.

Drew up the breed standard, though by then he might feel it was a losing battle due to the growing popularity of the Persian cat. In the German longhaired solid color, amber / yellow was the preferred eye color, except solid white cats, in which amber was allowed, blue or odd eyes. Deafness was a disqualifying offense in white cats, they were to be examined with a whistle out of sight of the cat. He also mentioned the potential for degenerative problems, like deafness, related to "albinism" (blue-eyed white was confused with albinism), so some indication that the cat was not albino was desirable, like a dark membrane. Bicolor and tricolor cats should have more color than white. "Masked" cats were allowed to be less symmetrically marked than bicolor or tricolor cats.. This group included the “black and yellow” and the “Spanish” tortoiseshell. (tortoiseshell and white). Tortoiseshells should ideally have large patches of color, but Schwangart admitted that this was weird. In partial colored cats, eye color should reflect the predominant coat color. Chinchilla eye colors (black tip), peach colors (golden?), smoked and silver were related to the color of their fur (that is to say, in parallel to shorthairs and Persians).

In 2008 a provisional standard of the German Longhair Cat in the World Cat Federation, based on the standards of 1929 and 1954. It is the only long-haired cat developed in German lands and is the long-haired "sister" of the European short-haired breed., to which it resembles in its general conformation.

It does not have the broad muzzle of the Maine Coon cat nor the straight nose line of the Norwegian Forest Cat .

The modern standard calls for a medium-sized cat with a long figure, rectangular, robust and flexible. It is distinguished from European Shorthair / Celtic Shorthair for having a deeper chest and a bushy tail of medium length that is reduced to a round tip. The sturdy legs are short to medium long with large, firm legs.. The head is rounded, but it is longer than it is wide with a moderately long and sloping nose with a slight stop (a pronounced stop is a foul). Strong chin and cheeks, the latter suggest the Nordic breed of the European wildcat (F. silvestris silvestris). The ears are small to medium size, straight and broad at the base with a rounded tip. The eyes are round to oval, large and slightly diagonal; color is related to coat color / pattern (or with the predominant color in partially colored cats).

The coat is medium long on the shoulders and shorter on the head. It is longer in the flanks, the back and the belly, and it is particularly long on the gola, hind legs and tail. But, the coat is easy to maintain, shiny and not as woolly as that of the Persian. All colors are accepted, except for chocolate, the cinnamon and its diluted, the lilac and the tawny (both in solids and in drawings). Otherwise, colors / patterns include auto / solid, the bicolor, the tortoiseshell, the turtle and the white, the masked", el tipped, the cream, red, the smoked, shading, the silver and the mackerel and the classic tabby. Personality is human-oriented.