Turkish Van

Lake Van cats lived in their region of origin for thousands of years, as shown by several references to a 'ringed tail' cat throughout history. The classic white and red tabby pattern gives this appearance to the tail and was found depicted on ancient Hittite jewelry. In 1955, two Britons, Laura Lushington and Sonia Halliday, saw Turkish Vans for the first time and decided to bring them back to the United Kingdom. They immediately recognized a natural breed, and began breeding them. In the Complete Cat Encyclopedia, edited by Grace Pond and published in 1972, Laura Lushington describes the breed: 'One of two breeds accepted in Turkey, the Turkish Van, is now known in Great Britain as the Turkish cat. Originating from the Lake Van region in southeastern Turkey, these cats have been domesticated for centuries (in fact, as long as the famous Saluki dog); they are greatly loved and prized by the 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 do they are interested in water and play with it, but they are also known to enter ponds to swim - they have very quickly become known as 'swimming cats'. I was first given a pair of kittens in 1955 on a trip to Turkey, then I decided to bring them 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. The experience showed that they could be raised. They were not known in Great Britain at the time, and since they were so charming and intelligent, I decided to try to establish the breed and have it officially recognized in Great Britain by the GCCF.' The first Turkish Vans were imported to the United States in 1982 and accepted in Cat Fancier Association (CFA) exhibitions 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 because breeding still relies on Vans imported from Turkey. Imported cats were not influenced by breeding and are very resistant.

La fourrure est mi-longue, douce comme du cachemire et avec le moins de sous-poil possible. Le lac de Van étant situé dans une région aux températures extrêmes, les chats ont développé une fourrure qui devient épaisse en hiver avec une large collerette et une queue en forme de rince-bouteille, qui tombe pour les étés chauds et donne l'impression de ne pas avoir affaire à un chat à poils mi-longs. Les sujets à la robe unie et van sont acceptés. Le standard autorise une ou plusieurs taches sur le corps, tant qu'il n'y a pas plus de 20 % de couleur et que le chat ne donne pas l'apparence d'être bicolore. Bien que la couleur classique des vans soit roux tabby et blanc, la couleur sur la tête et la queue peut être l'une des suivantes : roux, crème, noir, bleu, écaille de tortue, tabby ou non. Les sujets entièrement blancs (solid white) sont préférés aux sujets van par les gens de la région de Van, et de toute la Turquie en général parce qu'étant plus rares que la variante bicolore. C'est l'expression maximale du gène de tache blanc pie qui donne cette apparence au chat. Ce gène apparait dans plusieurs espèces différentes comme chez le cheval ou le python royal. Il est aussi présent chez les chats domestiques courants. Un chat possédant ces motifs de couleurs, mais qui n'est pas authentifié ou originaire de la région de Van est appelé un vanalike.