The Turkish Van, also known as the Lake Van Cat, is a breed of cat originating from the Lake Van region, located in the Armenian high plateau in southeastern Turkey.
This large cat is characterized by its semi-long coat.
Origins:
The Van Turk (Turkish: Van kedisi; Armenian: Վանա կատու, vana katou or vana gadou) is a rare and natural breed, which was originally found in the region of Lake Van, on the Armenian high plateau, in present-day eastern Turkey.
Lake Van cats have lived in their native area for thousands of years, as seen in several references to a "ring-tailed" cat throughout history.
The classic white and red tabby pattern gives the tail this appearance and has been found depicted on jewelry from Hittite antiquity. Also, archaeologists have found "relics of an ancient battle during the occupation of Armenia by the Romans including armor and banners decorated with images of a large white cat with rings on its tail".
In 1955, two British women, Laura Lushington and Sonia Halliday, saw Van Turks for the first time and decided to bring some back.
They immediately recognized a natural breed, and began breeding.
A quote from Laura Lushington in the Complete Cat Encyclopedia, edited by Grace Pond and published in 1972:
“One of the two breeds accepted in Turkey, the Van Turk, is now known in Britain as the Turkish Cat.
Native to the Lake Van region of southeastern Turkey, these cats have been domesticated for centuries (in fact, as long as the famous Saluki dog); they are much loved and prized by Turks for their exceptional character and unique coloring.
Apart from their great capacity for affection and alert intelligence, their incredible characteristic is to love water, which is not common for a feline.
Not only are they interested in and playing with water, but they are also known to enter ponds to swim in them – they soon became known as “swimming cats”.
I was first given a pair of kittens in 1955 on a trip to Turkey, then decided to bring some back to England, although traveling by car and camping at the time — the fact that they survived in good condition showed the great adaptability and intelligence of their species to changing conditions.
Experience showed that they could be raised. They were not known in Britain at the time, and since they were so charming and intelligent, I decided to try to establish the species and have it officially recognized in Britain by the GCCF. »
The first Van Turks were imported to the United States in 1982 and accepted into Cat Fancier Association (CFA) shows in 1994.
Since then, the CFA has registered approximately 100 vans born each year in the United States, making them one of the rarest cat breeds.
However, the gene pool is thriving as they still use vans imported from Turkey.
Imported cats have not been influenced by human breeding and are very hardy.
Standards:
Van Turkish is a big cat.
Males can reach 9 kg and females weigh about half.
To reach such a weight, they have a slow growth, which can last between three and five years.
The body is long and strong, the musculature is powerful.
The forehand is particularly developed and is wider than the hindquarters, especially in males.
The legs are of medium length, with strong musculature, round feet and tufts of hair between the toes.
The tail is of medium length, carried in plume and well furnished.
From the front, the head is slightly longer than wide and forms a softened triangle.
Males have larger heads than females.
The cheekbones are prominent, the forehead rounded and the nose slightly arched.
The eyes are large and walnut-shaped, set slightly at an angle.
They are blue, gold or minnow. Green is tolerated.
The ears are medium to large in size, set high on the head with a rounded tip and wide base.
The fur is mid-length, soft as cashmere and with as little undercoat as possible.
Since Lake Van is located in a region with extreme temperatures, the cats have developed fur that becomes thick in winter with a wide ruff and a bottle-washer tail, which falls for hot summers and gives the impression of not having to deal with a cat with semi-long hair.
Both solid and van subjects are accepted. The standard allows one or more spots on the body, as long as there is no more than 20% color and the cat does not give the appearance of being two-tone.
Although the classic van color is red tabby and white, the color on the head and tail can be any of the following: red, cream, black, blue, tortoiseshell, tabby or not.
Solid whites are preferred over Vans by people in the Van region, and all of Turkey in general, because they are rarer than the two-tone variant.
It is the maximum expression of the piebald white spot gene that gives this appearance to the cat. This gene appears in several different species such as horses or royal pythons.
It is also present in common domestic cats.
A cat possessing these color patterns, but not authenticated or originating from the Van region is called a vanalike.
Character:
Van Turks are described as very intelligent, quite energetic and following their owner everywhere.
They would be playful and enjoy exploring anything within their reach.
Many Van Turks are said to be trained to fetch a particular item, and many owners describe them as "cat-dressed dogs" because of their unusual personalities.
Another of their interesting traits would be their fascination with water.
Vans are also called swimming cats because in their home country they are known to be able to dive into Lake Van.
This area is known for its high summer heat.
This trait may have benefited them during their evolution.
Most Vans are indoor cats and do not have access to large bodies of water, but their attraction and curiosity for water would remain innate.
These character traits remain however perfectly individual and are above all functions of the history of each cat, whatever its breed.
Genetic:
It has long been debated whether the white van was a van or a Turkish Angora.
Some breeders have chosen to cross them with Turkish Angoras for many years.
Others continued to marry them exclusively with their patterned vans, without any obvious alteration of the van race occurring.
Research is underway in the United States to find out if genetically the Van is the ancestor of the Turkish Angoras.
The question was put to specialists in genetics, in the study file of the recognition of white vans by TICA.
A scientific answer should therefore arrive during 2007.
However, after several years of study and judging at shows, LOOF and TICA now recognize the white van (formerly called van kedisi) as a simple color variant of the Van cat: genetically, a white van bears the color and the marking bequeathed by his parents or ancestors under his white coat and although his color is surprising or quite rare, he has exactly the same morphology and the same character as the vans whose body bears the "van marking".
His eyes can therefore be blue, amber, or minnows. A popular superstition claims that odd-eyed white van cats are capable of granting wishes.
In general, care should be taken to breed only one white parent and one patterned parent: The risk of deafness, if not in the offspring, increases, as in most feline breeds when two white parents reproduce, especially if the kitten has blue eyes, the discomfort of blue eyes being coupled with that of possible degeneration of the inner ear in cats.
Genetic research carried out by the University of California at Davis has reported the presence at very low frequency of the recessive allele responsible for the white gloving of the Sacra de Burma in the Turk of Van. A specific genetic test exists to detect the Burmese gloving gene.
التسميات
cat breeds