The Turkish Van cat (detailed introduction), English name: TurkishVan, originally from Turkey, has a long and solid body shape, medium-length long hair, coat is white and shiny, the fur texture is very smooth like silk. Except the head, ears, and tail have cream or light brown patches, there is not a single stray hair, the appearance is extremely beautiful and cute. The head is broad and wedge-shaped; ears are small; eyes are large and oval-shaped. Turkish Van cats originated from the Van Lake area in Turkey, developed from mutations of the Turkish Angora, strictly speaking, it is a strain of the Angora cat.

　　The Turkish Van is a semi-longhaired cat. Their eyes are usually amber or blue, or a combination of both. As with other cats affected by the white gene, the ear on the blue-eyed side is prone to hearing impairment. The cat encyclopedia section below introduces detailed characteristics:

　　Fur:

　　Most cats have three different types of hair: insulating guard hair, heat-insulating waterproof awn hair, and soft, curly undercoat. However, the Turkish Van has only one type: its fur feels like rabbit hair or cashmere wool, which dries quickly when wet. The climate around Lake Van is very extreme, so Van cats shed their coat to adapt to weather changes. Their fur grows thick in winter, and the neck hair forms a large ruff. In the warm summer, much fur is shed, making the coat short except the tail, which remains fluffy like a bottle brush.

　　Van cats are often confused with Turkish Angora cats (a longhaired breed from central Turkey), but putting the two cats together clearly shows their differences.

　　Due to the migration of Turkish migratory birds and outbreaks of avian flu, the survival of Van cats in Turkey has faced serious threats nowadays.

　　Body:

　　The Turkish Van cat has a long and strong body, well-developed shoulder muscles; the head is wedge-shaped, ears mostly hairy; nose is slender with a colored tip; paw pads are pink. Eyes are round, amber in color; tail is long with dense fur of golden brown color.

　　The Turkish Van has a dense, soft, silky coat, but lacks the wool-like undercoat. Its winter coat can rival the longhaired cats of the BT household; in summer the coat gradually sheds. The generally white coat has some golden brown markings in front of the ears; the tail also has darker markings.

　　Limbs:

　　Medium-length, solid build, quite sturdy. Weighs approximately 3 to 8.5 kilograms.

　　Head:

　　Medium to large size. Length at least equal to width. Rounded contours. No sharp edges or straight lines. High cheekbones. The muzzle is full and rounded. Slight nasal stop, with a delicate hooked tip. The boundary between the muzzle and cheeks is quite distinct. Chin is slightly rounded.

　　Ears:

　　Large, wide at the base, set high, ear tips slightly rounded.

　　Eyes:

　　Large, chestnut or walnut shaped, eye corners slightly lifted. Eyelids emphasized with pink. Colors: blue, amber, or odd-eyed. Green is also acceptable, but amber is preferred.

　　Neck:

　　Short and sturdy.

　　Body:

　　Long, large, strong. Rib cage is rounded. Hips are fairly wide. Large bone structure, well-developed muscles.

　　Legs and paws:

　　Moderately long. Hind legs longer than front legs. Medium bone size, muscular. Paws are round. Dense hair between toes.

　　Tail:

　　Moderately long, thick, covered with dense long fur. At least 5 cm long. The color is evenly distributed throughout the tail.

　　Coat:

　　Semi-long to long, soft, silky, without wool-like undercoat. In winter, ruff and breeches fur is abundant. The pure white coat has symmetrical red-brown or cream-colored patches. The white flame pattern separates the ear base. This fur pattern is called "Van pattern." The recognized main colors are: red with white, cream with white.

　　Undesirable traits:

　　More than three body patches. No flame pattern on the face. Uneven patch distribution. Tail color starting too early at the back.

　　Characteristics of Turkish Van cats: notably resilient, good environmental tolerance, very lively, and fond of swimming. Although once considered aggressive, thanks to breeders' efforts in recent times, this breed's behavior has become very friendly.

　　Coat Color Introduction:

　　Crossbreeding is not allowed for Turkish Van cats. Acceptable colors are as follows:

　　1. Cream cats (Cream patches contrast with the white, chalk-like coat. The vertical white blaze on the face extends downward across the nose, dividing the head into two color areas. The colored area on the head is limited above the eyes and must not extend behind the ears. The ears themselves are white, the inside ear is pale yellowish pink. The tail should be pure cream color and may slightly extend upward onto the back.)

　　2. Red-brown cats (The patch pattern is very important. The red-brown area on the head is limited above the eyes and must not extend behind the ears. The nose is white, with a clear vertical white blaze dividing the red-brown on the head into two halves. The tail is also red-brown.)