Turkish Van Cat

The Turkish Van (pronounced as Von) is a natural breed of domestic cat which initially originated in the mountains of Turkey. Although this breed of cat is classified as the semi-long hair type, they have two lengths of hair based on the season. During the winters, they are found to have thick and long hair, while, in the summers, their hair sheds to leave a short, light coat. Both the coat lengths, i.e., short and long, are found to be soft down to the root,, and no evident undercoat have been found on the Van cat species. 

The Turkish Breed Cats have only one coat, which is rare and can be distinguished by the Van pattern. Therefore, the color of the coat is restricted to the head and the tail, while it is white in the rest of the body parts. The Van pattern occurs due to the expression of the piebald white spotting gene, which is considered to be a type of partial leucism.

 The eyes of the Turkish Van Cats can either be blue or amber in color. In some cases, they can also be odd-eyed, i.e., having one eye of each color. This breed of cat is claimed to be the descendant of the commonly found all-white Van cats (Van kedisi), which were mostly found near Lake Van. 

Some people use the term "Turkish Vankedisi" to refer to all the white Turkish Van species of the formal Turkish Van breed. This particular species of the Turkish Van are generally not considered to be of show quality and hence, are actively bred against. They are often prone to deafness, which is another common defect found in almost all-white animals.

This article will talk about the Turkish Van Cat breed in detail and its physical characteristics. Students can also refer to this page to learn some interesting facts about the Turkish van cat personality.

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History of the Turkish Van Cat

The Turkish Van Cats are considered to be the rare and ancient breed of cat which originally developed in central Asia and the southwest Asia region.  At present, this cat breed is also found in the countries of Iran, Iraq, and parts of the Soviet Union and Turkey. The breed got its name as ‘Turkish Van Cat’ from its place of native origin, i.e., Lake Van, where they were assumed to be the descendants of white Van cats. 

Initially, this breed of cat was referred to as the Turkish Cat, but later it was named and adopted as the Turkish Van Cat to avoid confusion with the Turkish Angora. The Turkish Van was introduced in the United States in the year 1982 and was later recognised by the Cat Fanciers’ Association and The International Cat Association.

Physical Characteristics of Turkish Van

Some of the common characteristic features of Turkish Van are as follows:

1. The Turkish Van Breed has a long body and tail. They are generally muscular and well-built and thus fall under the category of large cats. 

2. This breed of cat has a short neck with broad and strong shoulders.

3. They reach their maturity in 3 to 5 years after birth and undergo a change in their weight during the process. The weight ranges from 10 - 20 pounds in males while in females it ranges from 7 - 12 pounds.

4. The coat on a Turkish Van is considered semi-long-haired. While, in some, three distinct hair types are found in their coats such as guard hair coat, awn hair coat and down hair coats. The Turkish Vans are known to have only one coat and no evident undercoat.

5. Due to the lack of an undercoat, they have a sleek appearance, and their fur feels like rabbit fur or cashmere. 

6. Bathing these Turkish Vans can be a challenge as their coats are found to be water repellant. Their coats are short initially during their birth and grow gradually over the period of time i.e., within three to five years. Therefore, the Turkish Van Cats are short-haired and thin-tailed during their early stages. Upon reaching maturity, the fur on their chest fills out, and the tail begins to thicken into a full brushtail. 

7. The tail of this cat species does not shed hair or change as per the season; rather, it remains long and full. Their ears are always feathered with fur to maintain their soft and fluffy look, even with their summer coat.

8. The Turkish Van is considered among the largest cat breeds due to its broad shoulders and top-heavy body parts. These cat species are found to be moderately long and have their back legs slightly longer than their front legs. But their broader shoulders and long back legs doesn't make these cats disproportionate. 

9. The Turkish Vans are also known as strong jumpers due to the presence of large paws and rippling hard muscle structure. But their maturation period is slow and can take a minimum of 3 years for this process. As per studies, Turkish Van cats can reach a length of 3 ft (1 m) from nose to tip of the tail.

10. The Vans typically have a straight and Asiatic nose, which is considered to be longer as compared to their semi-long hair coats. They have high cheekbones, bright eyes and are often found with very large ears, thus making these cats an exotic looking breed.

Turkish Van Cat Breed - Behavior And Their Relationship With Humans

The Turkish Van Cats are known to be excellent hunters and incredibly intelligent cats. They can also be trained easily to walk on a leash or harness. They love to play around humans and often love the presence of their human companion.  Although some breeds can tend to be aggressive during their early days, these cats are most commonly found to be very social, with a friendly liking and affections towards people. They are also known to be very attached to their owners and develop a strong bond within the course of time.  

Turkish Vans also tend to follow their owner everywhere, from room to room, as they want to participate in whatever is happening around them. Although this breed of cat is considered to be affectionate to their family members, they are not generally found to fall under the category of lap cats. They would rather prefer laying next to their owners, thus happily allowing themselves to be petted. They generally do not like being picked up and often prefer to be near their owners. 

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Both the black and white Turkish van cats are known to do well in a single-pet household and are not found to get affected or suffer much from separation. Although they prefer being around the company of other Turkish Vans, they tend to quickly accept the company of any other cat as well when put in a home with other cats. The Turkish Breed of Cats is also found to be equally comfortable around dogs as long as they are introduced properly and patiently to them.

When it comes to the Turkish Van Cat personality, they are found to be extremely playful around children, but the owner must take proper care to make sure no one lifts these cats too often. The Turkish Vans do not enjoy being held and may become aggressive if forced into such a situation. The native Van cats that belonged to Turkey were nicknamed the "swimming cats", due to their unusual fascination with water. 

Common Health Problems

The Turkish Van Cats are considered amongst the larger cat groups and are often found to be a healthy and long-lived breed. But these cats are slow to mature and can take up to three to five years to mature and reach their adult weight of 7 to 20 pounds. The Breeders usually keep the young Turkish Van kittens with the mother cat till they are 12 to 16 weeks of age, after which they are ready to be taken to their new home with their new families. 

Diet and Nutrition

Since Turkish cats fall under the category of large cats, a person must keep in mind not to overfeed them. The owner must keep a check on their weight, as gaining weight can lead to various health issues in this breed, such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Therefore, they should be provided with measured meals two to three times a day at regular times.