“Adorable, lovable, beautiful,
clown-like” are terms which
describe the Turkish Van. They have an interesting history.
They come from the Lake Van region of eastern Turkey, in what was
at one time the western part of Armenia. They haven’t
changed from the cats described in that area by Crusaders in the
twelfth century. They are known to swim; apparently fish were
part of their diet. We have noted our own Turkish Vans to swim
easily and gracefully after falling into a pool. They are claimed
to be the strongest of domestic cats. They have a reputation of
being excellent hunters.
They have a wonderfully silky feel to their coat.
They do not have an undercoat. Although they are a long
haired cat they require very little coat care. Generally, their
dominant color is white, with areas of color on the head and virtually
all of the tail. Small areas of color appear on the body as well.
The colors include red, black, blue and brown.
Females generally reach 9 to 12 pounds, males can reach 14-17 but
can reach up to 20 pounds.
They are very interactive with people and other
pets. We have found the
Turkish Van to be a very
lovable as well as beautiful
breed of cat.
A more complete breed
description is available from
