2021-04-11
Laura Lushington, a journalist from Britain, and her assistant, photographer Sonia Hellidey, first discovered the breed in 1955. They drew attention to the beautiful animals while on an expedition to Turkey.
Besides the beautiful appearance of the cat, they discovered unusual for these animals' ability to swim and they were not afraid of water.
How does it look like
Turkish van is a large animal.
Its body is long, and covered with strong muscles.
The chest is well developed. The back is straight and smooth, rectangle-shaped, which is slightly narrower at the rear.
Legs are not long, with round paws; its pads are pink. Hind legs are slightly shorter than the fore legs. Thick hair grows between fingers, in the form of brushes.
Adult animals can reach up to 9 kg, while female cats always have smaller dimensions.
The head is wedge-shaped, almost triangular. The nose is small, with a seamless transition to the forehead.
The ears are set at a distance of three fingers. Their size is considerable; there is a significant fringe of hair inside, wedge-shaped at the ends, slightly rounded.
Eyes of copper or amber color, blue or sometimes both eyes are painted in different shades.
The tail is equipped with the brush of a few rings, darker than all hair color, which is usually presented in red, brown or saturated tones of apricot. Turkish Van has a classy tabby pattern under white hair. White color must be at least 80%.
By its texture, hair resembles cashmere about 5 cm long and has a water-repellent effect. It does not have an undercoat. In winter, cat's hair becomes lusher and longer, and in the summer when it's hot, noticeably thinning.
Pecularities of the breed
Cats, once imported from Turkey, are considered the safest in terms of pet allergies. Those people who have a family or a small child or have health problems are recommended to get this breed.
In addition, they have not lost their love of the water and gladly take water treatments, if the water level does not exceed the height of their knees. Animals can bathe and swim in the pond or in the bathroom. You can bathe them every 6 weeks.
Cats of this breed are a little capricious, but happy to receive affection from the owner. It loves to play, run, and climb trees and buildings.
