The Water Loving Turkish Van Cat

The Turkish Van is a longhair breed with a bushy tail. This cat loves the water, and is surprisingly low maintenance.

If you are looking for a rare, distinctive looking longhair cat, then you may want to take a close look at the Turkish Van.

The Van is also known as the swimming cat. Unlike most other cats, they enjoy the water, and have been known to take a leisurely swim in the backyard pool. The breed originated in the Lake Van region of Turkey, which may explain their love of water.

The Turkish Van was developed before the seventeen hundreds from local cats. The Van is what is called a natural breed. That is, it developed on its own and is used to fending for itself in its natural environment.

As such, you should be warned, (and it should be no surprise) that this breed is a bit aloof and independent compared to other breeds. So, if you have other pets, you may not want to add a Van to your household. Although each cat is different, these cats often don't always get along well with dogs or even other cats.

This breed may also not be the ideal choice for families, as the Van is not interested in riding in doll carriages or being dressed up for tea parties. You might try a more pliable breed for that.

While the Van enjoys spending some time alone, the breed is still quite playful and enjoys having a variety of toys to play with. In addition, although she may not pine for you during the day, your Van will enjoy spending time with you in the mornings and evenings.

Just don't expect her to curl up in your lap for hours on end while you watch the news. She's not that kind of cat.

This cat is large and muscular, taking three to five years to reach maturity. They have a wedge shaped head and large, round eyes. These cats can have eyes that are golden or blue. Mismatched eye color is also common.

In recent times, some green eyed cats have also been produced in this breed. The green color, however, is not highly favored. This cat breed's striking appearance is completed by a long, bushy tail, that has been described as brush, or fox-like.

The most distinctive characteristic of the Turkish Van is the breed's unique marking pattern. These cats can only have color on their heads and tails. The rest of their bodies must be pure white.

The colored portions of the Van's body can be Auburn, Cream, Black, Blue and Tortoiseshell. Although all of these colors are allowed by the Cat Fanciers Association, some other associations are much more strict and only accept Auburn and Cream colors. In any case, they are quite beautiful and majestic.

Although the Turkish Van has a longhair coat and a very long and bushy tail, this breed does not need an extensive amount of grooming. The coat of the Van is very silky and rarely tangles. You should brush your cat at least once a week, however, to remove loose hair, food, dander, and so on. More often is better, of course, and will give your cat some extra attention.

In addition, grooming your cat can help prevent problems with hairballs, as hairballs are most often formed when cats swallow loose hair while they are grooming themselves. Hairballs are also the number one cause of constipation in cats.

If you do decide that the Turkish Van is right for you, you should be prepared to have it join you in the bath. You should be prepared to wait for a while for a kitten to become available. Although this breed is not rare in its native Turkey, the Van is rarely exported to other countries. The country of Turkey values the Van too much to freely send the breed to other countries.

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