Turkish van cats 101: Fun Facts & Myths

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In today's video, we are going to talk about some interesting facts and myths about the Turkish Van Cat.

Turkish Van is a type of semi-long-haired domestic cat that is native to the Lake Van area in Turkey. This is an ancient, natural breed that originates from mountainous and rugged areas. Turkish Van has been introduced to Europe in 1955 and to the USA in 1982, where this rare breed is mostly kept as a house pet and a show cat today.

If you hear someone bragging about their Turkish Van, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were talking about an imported car. However, the Turkish Van is not a car but a rare breed of cat. And today we have some fun interesting facts about this very cool cat.

This beautifully unique cat breed has many qualities that make them special in the cat world. The Turkish Van comes from the country of Turkey, which isn’t too much of a surprise given the breed name. Besides their beauty and love of water, what else do you think you know about the Turkish Van cat breed?

Here are some interesting facts and myths about the Turkish Van Cat.

1. THE TURKISH VAN IS MOST LIKELY AN OLD BREED.

Like many cat breeds, no one quite knows the Turkish Van’s true origins. According to famous legend, ancestors of the Turkish Van sailed aboard Noah’s Ark. Once the boat reached Mount Ararat, a volcanic mountain in eastern Turkey that serves as the Biblical vessel’s mythical landing place, the cats hopped off and swam for dry land. God blessed them, and his divine touch caused their white coats to develop their signature coloration. These cats became the progenitors of the Turkish Van breed.

In reality, the Turkish Van breed probably developed in central and southwest Asia. It's believed that the furry cat has lived in Turkey’s isolated Lake, in the Van region, which is a mountainous area that’s home to the country’s largest lakes. For the past generations, thanks to local legends, traditional folk songs, and ancient artifacts that reference the cat and its unusual markings, people now have a clue of the cat's true origins.

The Turkish Van has been reportedly spotted in neighboring countries including Iran, Iraq, and parts of the former Soviet Union.

2. THE CAT WAS RECENTLY RECOGNIZED SOLELY IN AMERICA.

The Turkish Van eventually migrated from Turkey to central Europe, possibly thanks to merchants, explorers, military troops, or returning Crusaders, who brought the cat home with them during the late 13th century. But according to most sources, the cat didn’t make its mark on the world until the mid-1950s, when two British women named Laura Lushington and Sonia Halliday were photographing Lake Van for the Turkish Tourist Board; when they had finished their project, the Tourist Board thanked them with a pair of unrelated dark red and white felines. Lushington took them back to England, began breeding the kitties, and imported more cats from Turkey to further the bloodline.

Eventually, the foreign breed was registered with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). Originally called “Turkish cats,” their name was later changed to the Turkish Van to avoid confusion with the Turkish Angora breed. (Over the years, the Turkish Van has also been known by a handful of other names.) In 1969, the GCCF officially granted the Van full championship status.

No one knows quite how or when Turkish Vans made their way to America, but in the early 1980s, two breeders named Barbara and Jack Reark imported two of the cats from France, helping to pave the way for the Van’s acceptance as a new breed. By 1985, The International Cat Association (TICA) also recognized the Van, and the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) followed suit in 1994.

The Turkish Van is still relatively rare in America, so if you want to purchase one you might have to search long and hard for a breeder who sells the silky kitties. In 2013, CFA registration statistics showed that the Turkish Van ranked 41st in popularity out of the 43 breeds the organization accepts for championship status—probably because so few of them exist in the U.S.