The Turkish Van breed originates from the area surrounding Lake Van in Turkey and has been domesticated there for hundreds of years.
In 1950, a pair of these cats were brought back to Britain by a couple, and they began to breed these distinctively marked
In the late ’70s, the breed made its way to the United States. The Turkish Van began receiving club recognition in the ’80s and ’90s, making its way to the hearts of cat lovers across the globe.
Turkish Van cat should not be confused with the Turkish Angora cat, because both the breeds are completely separate.
Description
The Turkish Van cat is a large, muscular yet beautiful breed with a white body and distinctively colored head and tail. These cats are very strong in appearance. Turkish Van cat has a large ears and are set high on the head. The eyes are large, oval and expressive.
The Turkish Van’s coat is long, smooth and silky with no woolly undercoat.
The body of The Turkish Van cat is predominately chalked white with colored markings on top of the head.
Occasionally small thumbprints of color appear on the body.
Coat Length: Semi-long, fine, cashmere-like
Age Expectancy: 13-17 years
Size: Medium to large, with males weighing 9 to 20 pounds and females weighing 7 to 12 pounds
Personality
This cats are extremely intelligent, friendly and excellent companions. They are active cats and always enjoy playing games with humans or other cats. They just need stimulation and a chance to play. This cats have soft voices.
This cats loves to swim so they are also known as Turkish Swimming Cat.
Feeding & Grooming
Feeding: Every cat is unique and each has their particular likes, dislikes, and needs when it comes to food.
Cats are carnivores and every cat must obtain 41 different nutrients from their food. Proper nutrients will vary depending on age and overall health, so energetic kitten needs a different balance of nutrients in her diet than a less active senior cat.
Grooming: Turkish Van cats do require regular grooming to keep their beautiful long, smooth and silky coat tangle-free; it is best to do this on a daily basis as this avoids major tangles.
It should be comb and brush at an early age the cat will soon become used to it and many potential problems can be avoided.