Turkish Van Cat

In recent years, one of the cats that has attracted people's attention in Turkey and around the world is the Van cat. Inquisitive and social, the Turkish Van is an excellent pure breed available to satisfy any cat lover. However, as required care has not been shown so far, they face a loss of the species. The number of them has been decreasing day by day, and the original breeds have been lost while they were often seen in the region, and almost every house had one in the past. Van cats are not only seen as a pet or hunter of rats and insects but also a friend and member of the family.

History of Turkish Van Breed

When the Ark arrived at Mount Ararat some 5,000 years ago, Noah must have been a bit busy keeping the animals from stampeding in their eagerness to touch dry land. In the hustle and bustle, two white and red cats leaped into the water and swam ashore. When the flood receded, the cats set out for Lake Van, located about 75 miles to the south of Mount Ararat, where they have lived ever since.

This is a legend about the appearance of the Turkish Van cat, a naturally occurring breed inhabited the Lake Van region of Turkey and the bordering areas of Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Russia for Heaven knows how long.

The Turkish Van cats originate from Lake Van's area in Turkey and have been domesticated there for hundreds of years. In 1955, Laura Lushington and Sonia Halliday were traveling through Turkey. They noticed that the cats, particularly around the area of Van in Eastern Turkey, bore a remarkable resemblance to the traditional Angora type. The most noticeable difference, however, was that the coat was not pure white but had auburn head markings and a faintly ringed auburn tail. Laura brought two unrelated cats back to Britain, and when they were mated, they produced kittens bearing the same auburn markings. It was at this point that Laura realized that this was a natural breed and not human-made. She registered the Van prefix, and the Turkish Van Cat has since become an established breed. They gained official recognition, and cats were exported to the US and Australia, where they also gained popularity.

Turkish Van cat’s physics

Turkish Vans live for about twelve to fourteen years. They have about five kittens in a litter and their weight is between 3 and 8.5kgs.

The Turkish Van is an excellent cat with a broad chest. They have facial muscles that change as a reaction to anything happening. Muscle and skeleton form are controlled in an excellent way and that is why no matter the position they fall from they always fall on their feet.

Their head has a broad wedge shape, medium-length nose, prominent cheekbones, firm chin and large ears, that are in proportion to the body with slightly rounded tips. The ears are set fairly high on the head and close together. The eyes are moderately large and expressive. One of the characteristics of Van cats is the color of their eyes. They may have both blue eyes, both amber or one eye blue and the other amber.

The body of the Turkish Van cat is sturdy, broad, muscular and deep-chested. Her legs are medium in length with five in front and four behind toes. The tail has a full brush and balances the body in length.

The coat is semi-long and feels like cashmere. Most people think of Turkey as being a hot country and the Van cat with her profuse coat, tufted feet and ears would seem to be ill-equipped to cope with a hot climate. Mountains surround the Van basin in eastern Turkey, and its high plateau is subject to changes in temperature difficult to imagine. In summer 36° or even 40° is not unusual, and in the winter, temperatures vary between -13° in the towns to -35° on the high ground. The silky texture of the coat of Turkish Van makes it an ideal insulating material, while the long tufts of fine hair help to protect the delicate pink skin of the inner ear from driving snow and freezing winds. The tufts of hair on the feet' underside protect the pads from frozen ground and snow, and the muscular body is ideally suited to withstand the changeable and often harsh climate.

The cat's body is predominately chalked white with color on the tail and head. One or more random markings, up to color on 20% of the entire body, are permissible. The red color is restricted to areas around the ears and on the tail - known as the Van pattern. Some have small body-color spots.

The pregnancy period is 62 days. The belly starts to swallow from the first month and the cat never lets anyone touch her belly. Van cats, like other cats, prefer to give birth in locations far away from vision, and for this reason, they start to look for an isolated and dark location from the first month of the pregnancy.

Behavior of Turkish Van cats

The hunting characteristic of Van cats is superior. They hunt rats, mice, birds, flies, and insects indoor and outdoor and eat them. They never attack poultry animals living with them in the house or out of the house.

The Turkish Van cats do not want other cats to come to their living areas, over which they have strong control. If their living places or houses are changed, they try to return to a former place if they do not like the new one. Van cats get used to their new living places in 20 to 30 days. During this period, they examine the surroundings and are not interested in their owners.

The studies indicated that Turkish Van cats respond to training very well. They understand what has been taught very quickly, and the kittens can learn their names when they are 2-3 months old. However, it is thought that this learning is understanding the tone of the sound they are used to rather than learning the names.

Van cats are very affectionate, giving head butts and love bites. Especially during pregnancy, they need love. They are very close to their owners and love them. They are jealous of their owners, showing affection to other cats and small kids.

Van cats check the meal to see if it is warm with their front paws, and if the meal is warm enough, they eat. It is also observed that Van cats eat melon, watermelon, and some fruit.

When the food is given, they show their grates by means of touching their owner. When they need a toilet, they go to the door and meow to ask their owners to open the door. It is also observed that if the door needs to be opened, they jump to the handle and open it.

Turkish Van’s character and temperament

The most amazing characteristic of the Turkish Van cat is her affinity to water. She not only likes water but also actually enjoys a swim. The likely explanation for Van's interest in swimming lies in the extreme temperatures in her native region. Since summer temperatures reach well above 1000F (37.80C), the cats may have learned to swim to survive.

They are loyal, loving, and very intelligent cats. Their temperament depends greatly on their upbringing, the amount of human contact and handling they received as a kitten, and the temperament of the mother herself. They start to become wild if they do not have a relationship with human beings or have a little relationship.

The Van cats like to be involved in everything their owners do and follow them around like dogs. In fact, some people have said that Turkish Vans are more like dogs than cats. They meow loudly when they see their owners in the morning to show their happiness. But when they are hungry, they go to the kitchen door and meow to indicate they are hungry.

Of course, as with everything in life, there are a few downsides. Turkish Van has been known to wreak havoc, such as shredding curtains, knocking ornaments and plants off shelves, mantelpieces and kitchen surfaces, etc.; sometimes this is quite deliberate! Also, they can open doors, especially cupboards, etc., and don't think twice about knocking the contents onto the floor.

Care of Turkish Van Cats

This breed has a hearty appetite with no special dietary requirements. Because the Turkish Van is an active cat, she will require approximately 80 Kcals of food per kg of body weight per day.

A Van's coat takes a lot of effort to get it looking its best, but the result is worth it. It is best to groom daily as this avoids major tangles and mats. If grooming with a comb and brush is introduced at an early age, the cat will soon become used to it, and many potential problems will be avoided. Despite their affinity with water, it is best to start bathing Van’s coat at an early age.