Turkish van, or a Turkish Van cats is semi-longhair breed of domestic cats, created on the basis of the population of Van cats (Turkish Van Kedisi – «Van kedisi” Kurd. Pişika Wanê – «pishika Vanya,” Arm. Վանա կատու – «Wang Katu”) .
The history of the breed:
One of the features of this cat is a small spot on the skin, usually on the left front foot. The form of it resembles a thumbprint. According to legend, God created the Van cat specifically to kill the mouse, which could destroy Noah’s Ark chew. Cat coped with the task, rescuing Noah’s family and all of humanity. This imprint is called by Kurds’ the mark of right hand thumb of Allah. “
Turkish Van is a naturally formed breed. It is considered that the birthplace is the area adjacent to Lake Van in Turkey, so the breed is named after it. The breed became strong and powerful because of the harsh climate of the area.
The evolution of the breed began in the 60s of last century thanks to two Englishwomen – Laura Lashington and Sonia Holiday. They had taken two Turkish Van kittens from Turkey to England in order to prepare reports for a British newspaper. kittens surprised them not only by theirs appearance but also by behavior, unexpected for cats. On the way back it was very hot and the car was overheated, so the travelers stopped at a stream to pour cold water into the machine, and to rest in the shade of trees. Everyone knows that cats tend to stay away from water. But Laura Lashington was amazed when the kitten jumped out of the car after the people, jumped into the creek, and not drowned, but began to dabble in the shallows. In 1969 the breed was officially registered in the UK.
Appearance
Turkish Van is rather large cat. The body is elongated, muscular, with well-developed chest as a swimmer has. The back has a rectangular shape, slightly becoming thinner to the tail. Legs are of medium length and well developed, front legs slightly longer than the back, paws are round, with pink paw pads, there are brushes of the hair between the toes. Adult males weigh an average of 12 to 20 pounds, female cats – from 9 to 14 pounds. The eyes may be colored of saturated amber or copper colored, or blue eyed, also a cat can have different colored eyes: one eye- blue, the other – amber or copper colored. On the tail of the form of brush we can find rings (about 5-8) of more saturated colors, if the cat has a traditional red-brown color. Between the fingers of forepaws there are membranes that help them swim. A classic coat color of Turkish Van, which is recognized by all organizations, is called the Wan color when the red-brown color of the tail is painted in the form of brush with 5-9 more brightly colored rings, the same color spots are located on the face below the ear, and the rest of the skin is snow-white. Snow-white should be not less than 80% of the surface of the skin.
The feather shaped tail is covered with long hair, bushy tail tip resembles a wedge. All wool is very soft and thin, it allows to dry quickly after bath. Female and male cats differ in appearance. Adult cats are more hairy, they are larger. Turkish Van cats reaches full maturation at the age of 3-5 years.
Care and attendance
Many cats of this breed love to swim in warm water or play in the shallows. Living in an apartment they can enjoy water in the bathtub, being poured to the level just above their knees. They are one of the least allergenic breeds. In most cases, people are allergic because of cat saliva. A bathing of this cat about every six weeks significantly can mitigate such effects.
Care of their hair is simple, since it usually does not require a comb. The texture resembles cashmere wool, which makes it waterproof, that is why the dirt does not stick to it. As they get older Van cat’s hair becomes more lush. Coating of the Turkish Van is subject to seasonal changes. In winter coat grows longer in the area of “collar and shirt-fronts”, the tail becomes more pubescent with long hair. In the summer the appearance of Van may resemble the short-haired cats, and only the tail is covered with long hair. During molting, combing is recommended to help the cat to get rid of dead hair.
Character
Turkish Van is an “intelligent” cat who loves affection, although sometimes capricious . Van cats are usually very energetic and outgoing. A voice is melodious. Vans are very fond of jumping, climbing as high as possible, and run,as if offering an owner to run with them. This loves to swim and doesn’t have any fear of water. They usually play with streams, washes, and can even stand under a weak stream of water.
Turkish Van is mobile cat, curious by nature and, therefore,it is desirable to provide it with new toys and play with them on a regular basis. It is believed that the Turkish Van is “cat of one owner,” because, even being tied to all members of the family Van usually distinguish someone . Van cats are very sociable animals, they clearly express their emotions and quite eloquently explain their needs. They have well-developed facial expressions. This emphasizes the contrast between the white coat on the main part of the face and painted Vans markings. Van cats love to take part in everything that their owners do and follow them, as dogs . In general, the Van usually have good relationships with the dogs, but Van cats tend to be in the saddle.
Vans do not like close physical contact and do not like to be carried in one’s arms , so from the first day of their lives it is better to habituate the kittens to the hands of man. In the future, it will help them become more sociable.
