Editing Turkish Van

{{Distinguish|Van cat|Turkish Angora|}}
{{Redirect|Turkish Vankedisi|the landrace called ''{{lang|tr|Van kedisi}}'' in Turkish|Van cat}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use DMY dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox cat breed
| name          = Turkish Van
| image         = Thor, turkish van.jpg
| imagecaption  = A Turkish Van with [[heterochromia]].
| altname       = Turkish cat (obsolete)
| country       = [[Turkey]] (foundation stock),<br />[[United Kingdom]] (initial breeding programme)
| notrecognized = 
| extinct       = 
| cfastd        = https://web.archive.org/web/20060118003851/http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/standards/turkish-van.html
| fifestd       = http://www1.fifeweb.org/dnld/std/TUV.pdf
| ticastd       = https://tica.org/phocadownload/tv.pdf
| gccfstd       = https://web.archive.org/web/20081203120615/http://www.turkishvancatclub.co.uk/index2.htm
| aacestd       = https://web.archive.org/web/20080212192503/http://www.aaceinc.org/pages/breeds/van.htm
| acfastd       = http://www.acfacats.com/turkish_van_standard.htm
| acfstd        = https://www.acf.asn.au/notices/notices/standards/Group%20One/2022-TurkishVanFebruary.pdf
| ccastd        = 
| otherstd      = 
| note          = 
}}
The '''Turkish Van''' is a semi-long-haired, [[Breed standard|standardised]] [[List of cat breeds|breed]] of [[domestic cat]], which was [[Selective breeding|developed]] in the [[United Kingdom]] from a selection of cats obtained from various cities of modern [[Turkey]], especially southeast Turkey.<ref name="Pond" />{{rp|112}} The breed is rare,<ref name="Turkish Van Cats">{{cite web |url= http://cats.animal-world.com/Natural-Breeds/TurkishVanCat.php |title=Turkish Van Cats |access-date=8 April 2014}}{{Tertiary}} This source, in some places, conflates the Turkish Van breed and the [[Van cat]] landrace.</ref> is one of the larger breeds, and is distinguished by the '''Van pattern''' (named after the breed), where the colour is restricted to the head and the tail, and the rest of the cat is white;<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> this is due to the expression of the [[piebald]] white spotting gene, a type of partial [[leucism]].<ref name="Robinson" />{{rp|148}} A Turkish Van may have blue or amber eyes, or be [[Odd-eyed cat|odd-eyed]] (having one eye of each colour).

The breed was first recognised as such by a breeder/fancier organisation, the UK-based [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] (GCCF), in 1969, under the name '''Turkish cat'''.<ref name="Pond" />{{rp|113}} It was later renamed Turkish Van to better distinguish it from the [[Turkish Angora]] breed.  The Turkish Van has been claimed to be descended from (and is often confused with) the [[landrace]] of usually all-white [[Van cat]]s, mostly found near [[Lake Van]],<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> though one of the two original breeders' own writings indicate clearly that none of the breed's [[Foundation stock|foundation]] cats came from the Van area.<ref name="Pond" />{{rp|114}}<ref name="Swimming" />

==Breed standards==
[[File:TurkishVanRandomSpots.jpg|thumb|Turkish Van cats may have random spots over their body, but not as large as on their head and tail.]]
Breed standards allow for one or more body spots as long as there is no more than 20% colour and the cat does not give the appearance of a bicolour. A few random spots are acceptable, but they should not detract from the pattern. The rest of the cat is white. Although red tabby and white is the classic Van colour, the colour on a Van's head and tail can be one of the following: red, cream, black, blue, red [[Tabby cat|tabby]], cream tabby, brown tabby, blue tabby, [[Tortoiseshell cat|tortoiseshell]], dilute tortoiseshell (also known as blue-cream), brown-patched tabby, blue-patched tabby, and any other colour not showing evidence of [[crossbreed]]ing with the [[Point coloration|point-coloured]] breeds ([[Siamese (cat)|Siamese]], [[Himalayan (cat)|Himalayan]], etc.). Not all registries recognise all of these colour variations.

While A registries recognise all-white specimens as Turkish Vans, most do not. The US-based [[Cat Fanciers' Association]] (CFA, the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats) and [[Fédération Internationale Féline]] (FIFe, the largest international cat fancier organisation) recognise only Van-patterned specimens, as they define the breed by both its type and pattern. The Germany-based but international [[World Cat Federation]] (WCF) considers the all-white specimens a separate breed, which it calls the '''Turkish {{sic|Vankedisi|hide=y|reason=Yes, it is run-together and capitalised.}}''',<ref name="WCF list">{{cite web |url=http://www.wcf-online.de/WCF-EN/standard/rassen |title=Recognized and Admitted Breeds in the WCF |year=2009 |work=WCF-Online.de |publisher=World Cat Federation |location=Essen, Germany |access-date=13 February 2013 |archive-date=8 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808050150/http://www.wcf-online.de/WCF-EN/standard/rassen |url-status=dead }}<!--Note: This HTML version is more current than the 2009 PDF version that is available for download from the same page, as of this accessdate.--></ref> a name that is easily confused with the landrace [[Van cat]], which is called {{lang|tr|Van kedisi}} (two words) in Turkish. In other registries, the all-white cats are not considered show quality and are therefore actively bred against. They are prone to deafness; this is a common defect with many all-white animals.<ref name=":1" />

===Varieties===
<gallery>
File:Turkish Van, black variety.jpg|Mostly-white bicolour
File:Turkish Van Example2.jpg|Red
File:Nike, turkish van.jpg|Red tabby
File:PIper the Turkish Van cat.jpg|Calico
File:Black and White Turkish Van.png|Black and white Turkish Van
</gallery>

==History==
[[File:Van Guzelli Iskenderun.jpg|thumb|Van Iskenderun Guzeli, one of the founders of the Turkish Van breed, imported from [[Hatay Province]] in 1955 by Laura Lushington; with her kitten Van Kehribar<ref name="Pond">{{cite book |editor-last=Pond |editor-first=Grace |title=The Complete Cat Encyclopedia|publisher=Walter Parrish Intl. |date=1972 |isbn=0-517-50140-6 |location=London}}{{Tertiary}}</ref>{{rp|114}}]]

In 1955, two British photographers, Laura Lushington and Sonia Halliday, while on assignment in Turkey for the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, were given two unrelated cats in Turkey, which Lushington took home with her and allowed to mate. When the offspring came out identical to their parents – chalk white with dark tail and head markings – she set to establishing a [[Breed standard|standardised breed]], originally named '''Turkish cat''', later Turkish Van, and having it recognised by the British [[cat fancy]] organisations. Lushington returned to Turkey to find another pair, with the goal of breeding to the standard "three clear generations".<ref name=":1" />

According to Lushington, her original imported cats were: Van Iskenderun Guzelli (female), a cat that came from [[Hatay Province]], [[Iskenderun]], and Stambul Byzantium (male), a cat given by a hotel manager in [[Istanbul]], both in 1955. Two later additions to the gene pool were Antalya Anatolia (female), from the city of [[Antalya]], and Burdur (male), from [[Burdur]] city, both in 1959. Lushington did not see Van city before 1963, and only stayed there "for two days and two nights".<ref name="Swimming">{{Citation |last=Lushington |first=Laura |title=The Swimming Cats |journal=Animals |volume=1 |issue=17 |pages=24–27 |year=1963 |url= http://vancatblog.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/cats/historic-articles |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140802044544/http://vancatblog.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/cats/historic-articles |archive-date=2 August 2014 |quote=My photographer and I were given special permits visit Van by air, for two days and two nights (...) Now at least I have been to Van, in Eastern Turkey, and seen with my own eyes the ancient city of Van and the glorious Lake Van}}</ref> It is unclear why the name "Turkish Van" was chosen, or why one of the original 1955 kittens was named "Van Iskenderun Guzelli", given their provenance. Of the founding 1955 pair, Lushington wrote, in 1977:

{{blockquote|I was first given a pair of Van kittens in 1955 while travelling in Turkey, and decided to bring them back to England, although touring by car and mainly camping at the time – the fact that they survived in good condition showed up the great adaptability and intelligence of their breed in trying circumstances. Experience showed that they bred absolutely true. They were not known in Britain at that time and, because they make such intelligent and charming pets, I decided to try to establish the breed, and to have it recognised officially in Britain by the [[GCCF]].<ref name="Pond" />{{rp|114}}}}

It is unclear whether Lushington was intending to imply that the Hatay and Istanbul kittens had originally come from the Lake Van region, or was simply referring to the Turkish Van [[foundation stock]] as "Van kittens" for short. Neither city is near Van Province, and there is no evidence that specimens of the [[Van cat]] landrace were ever among the foundation stock.

The Turkish Van was given full pedigree status in 1969 by the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] (GCCF). Called simply the Turkish cat at this point,<ref>''Rex, Abyssinian and Turkish Cats'', by Alison Ashford and Grace Pond, {{ISBN|0-668-03356-8}}</ref> the name was changed in 1979 in the UK (1985 in the US) to Turkish Van<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /><ref>Turkish Van Cat Club, ''Van Cat Chat'', No. 5, Winter 1985/1986</ref> to better distance the breed from the [[Turkish Angora]] cat (originally called simply Angora,<ref name="Pond" />{{rp|35}} an old spelling of [[Ankara]]).

The Turkish Van began to be imported into America in the 1970s. Beginning in 1983, two Florida breeders, Barbara and Jack Reark,{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} worked to popularise this breed, and in 1985, [[The International Cat Association]] (TICA) granted the Turkish Van championship status. In 1988, the [[Cat Fanciers' Association]] (CFA) accepted the breed for registration in the miscellaneous class. The CFA later bestowed provisional status to the Van in 1993, and championship status in 1994. In that first year, four Turkish Vans attained the grand title.

==Physical characteristics==
[[File:Hobie the cat (rear view).jpg|thumb|"Ringed" tail pattern of a Turkish Van]]

[[File:Momo’s paw.jpg | thumb | right | alt=Turkish Vans have typically large paws that may have long tufts of fur between the toes. This paw (Momo’s) is a front paw. Notice the soft, wispy fur around the digits.  | A Turkish Van's paw — note the tufts of fur between the digits.]]

The Turkish Van is a large, muscular cat with a moderately long body and tail. It has strong, broad shoulders and a short neck; the jock of the cat world. The body of a Van should neither be stocky, or thin. It should call to mind the body build of an athlete, and indeed, it is one of the largest cats.<ref name=":1" /> They take from 3 to 5 years to reach their full maturity and when they do males range in weight from 10 - 20 pounds with females ranging from 7 - 12 pounds.<ref name=TICA>{{Cite web |title=Turkish Van |url= https://tica.org/breed/turkish-van/ |access-date=30 September 2024 |website=TICA.org}}</ref>

The coat on a Turkish Van is considered semi-long-haired.<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> While many cats have three distinct hair types in their coat – [[guard hair]], [[awn hair]], and [[down hair]] – the Turkish Van has no evident undercoat, only one coat.<ref name=":1" /> This makes their coat feel like [[Cashmere wool|cashmere]]<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> or rabbit fur. The lack of an undercoat gives a sleek appearance.<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> The coat is uncommonly water repellent,<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> which makes bathing these cats a challenge, though the coat dries quickly. The breed actually has two lengths of hair, determined by season. In the winter, the hair is thick and long. In the summer, the hair sheds to leave a shorter, lighter coat.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Turkish Van |url= https://www.petmd.com/cat/breeds/c_ct_turkish_van |access-date=17 July 2021 |website=PetMD.com}}</ref>  The coat begins short at birth and grows in gradually over a period of three to five years, so that the kittens may be short-haired in appearance, with thin tails, but as they mature, the fur on the chest will fill out, and the tail will thicken into a full brush tail. The tail does not shed hair or change according to the season, but remains long and full. The ears remain feathered with fur, so that even with its summer coat, the Van looks soft and fluffy.<ref name=":1" />

The Turkish Van is one of the larger cat breeds. Ideal type should feature broad shoulders with a body that is "top-heavy", that is, a cat with its center of gravity forward. The cat is moderately long, and its back legs are slightly longer than its front legs, but neither the cat itself nor its legs are so long as to be disproportionate. They have large paws and rippling hard muscle structure which allows them to be very strong jumpers. Vans can easily hit the top of a refrigerator from a cold start on the floor. They are slow to mature and this process can take 3 years, possibly longer. Vans have been known to reach {{convert|3|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} long from nose to tip of tail.

A Turkish Van may have blue eyes, amber eyes, or be [[Odd-eyed cat|odd-eyed]]<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> (having one eye of each colour, a condition known as [[Heterochromia|heterochromia iridis]]).  

The breed typically has very large ears when it is a kitten, growing into its ears over time. The nose is straight and Asiatic, considered long for a semi-longhair, and with its high cheek bones, and startlingly bright eyes, it gives off quite an exotic appearance.<ref name=":1" />

==Behavior==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2014}}
The [[The International Cat Association|TICA]] standard{{r|TICA}} notes several characteristics, including their high intelligence, energy and playfulness – also making them somewhat mischievous. Muscular and highly driven, they like to climb and perch high up, to study their environment, and they get around their domain with impressive athleticism. They make quite successful hunters as a consequence. Their drive makes them easily trainable with positive reinforcement – to play fetch, do tricks or walk on a leash. Although there may be efforts to move the breed towards greater sociability.<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> a 2021 study in Finland<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mikkola |first=Salla |date=4 June 2021 |title=Reliability and Validity of Seven Feline Behavior and Personality Traits |journal=Animals |volume=11|issue=7 |pages=7 |doi=10.3390/ani11071991 |pmid=34359119 |pmc=8300181 |doi-access=free}}</ref> did find that the Turkish Vans in their research showed higher than average tendencies towards fearfulness, aggression towards humans, as well as a lower stress tolerance (notable excessive grooming and litter-box problems), and lower sociability to humans and cats.

Curious, Turkish Vans want to be with their owner participating in whatever is happening, and so they may follow a person from room to room.{{r|TICA}} While Turkish vans are affectionate to their family members, these are not normally lap cats. They may lie next to their owners and will happily allow themselves to be petted, but this is not a breed that tolerates being picked up and often wants to be {{em|near}} their owner, not {{em|on}} their owner.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Turkish Van |url= https://www.dailypaws.com/cats-kittens/cat-breeds/turkish-van |access-date=17 July 2021 |website=Daily Paws}} {{reliable source?|date=January 2023}}</ref>

Turkish Vans do well in a single-pet household and don't seem to suffer much from separation anxiety. When put in a home with other cats, they much prefer being around other Turkish Vans. Dogs can be no problem as long as they are introduced properly and patiently.<ref name=":0" />

When it comes to families, Turkish Vans are happy to play with children, but care must be taken to make sure small ones are reminded that the breed may not enjoy being held, and may strike out if forced into such a situation.<ref name=":0" /> The native [[Van cat]]s of Turkey have been nicknamed the "swimming cats", due to an unusual fascination with water.<ref name="Swimming" /> Despite the modern Turkish Van breed consisting almost entirely of pedigreed, indoor-only cats with no access to large bodies of water, and despite dubious connections between them and the cats of the Lake Van area, some feel that the Turkish Van has a notable affinity for water; for example, instead of swimming in a lake, they may stir their water bowls or play with water in the toilet,<ref name=":1" /> and some may even follow their owners into water.<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> However, the idea that the breed likes water more than other cats may be mistaken according to some pet writers.<ref name="Hart">{{cite book |first=Robert |last=Hart |title=Hart's Original Petpourri |volume=1 |page=4 |isbn=9781934938621 |publisher=Langdon Street Press |date=2010 }} Hart cites a ''Cat Fancy'' magazine article as his source.</ref>

==Genetics==
The Turkish Van is largely free of genetic issues and breed-specific health defects. Unlike the Turkish Angora, the Turkish Van does not have issues with deafness.<ref name=":0" />

Additionally, due to the Turkish Van's larger size, spay or neutering procedures are sometimes delayed to around 1 year of age, as an early adjustment to their hormone levels can affect how their bones and muscles grow.<ref name=":0" />

The piebald spotting gene (partial [[leucism]]) appears in other different species (like the [[horse]] and the [[ball python]]). It also shows up in other breeds of cat, since the Van pattern is merely an extreme expression of the gene.<ref name="Robinson">{{Citation |last1=Vella |first1=Carolyn |last2=Shelton |first2= Lorraine |last3=McGonagle |first3=John |last4=Stanglein |first4=Terry |title=Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians |place=Oxford |publisher=Butterworth Heineman |date=1999 |edition=4th |page=253 |isbn=0-7506-4069-3}}</ref>{{rp|148}}

The breed's variability of eye colour is genetically caused by the white spotting factor, which is a characteristic of this breed. The white spotting factor is the variable expression of the piebald gene that varies from the minimal degree (1), as in the blue-eyed cats with white tip on the tail to the maximal degree (8–9) that results in a Van-patterned cat, when coloured marks occupy at most 20% of the white background, but the white background in the breed covers about 80% of the body. Breeding two cats together with the same level of white spotting will produce cats with a similar degree of spotting.<ref name="Robinson" />{{rp|148}}

Van-patterned Turkish Vans are not prone to deafness, because their [[phenotype]] is associated with the Van pattern (S<sup>v</sup>) semi-dominant gene. Solid-white Turkish Angoras carry the [[Epistasis|epistatic]] (masking) white colour (W) dominant gene associated with white fur, blue eyes, and often deafness. All-white cats of Turkish Van stock may share this gene. All three types of cat may exhibit eye colours that are amber, blue or odd. Deafness is principally [[Congenital sensorineural deafness in cats|associated with white cats]] having two blue eyes.<ref name="Robinson" />{{rp|191}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Cats}}
* [[Cat coat genetics]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060118003649/http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/turkish-van.html Turkish Van Breed Profile]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070113092754/http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/articles/turkish-van.html Turkish Van Breed Article]

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