Turkish Van Cats
Starting from the 16th century, when the first long-haired cats, were brought to Europe as wonders, because there had been only shorthaired cats in Europe at the time, numerous Vans had been imported as Angora cats that were introduced a little earlier. At the same time red-and-white van-patterned Van cats were usually described as whites that may be seen at the painting of French artist Antoine Jean Bail named "A Young Girl With A White Cat". It seems that little changed since then. If we look carefully at the people's holiday snaps that are published even in the Internet, we may notice that several of the 'white' Van cats in the pictures plainly had patches of red fur. As it was noticed by the visiors of Van region the current population of Van tended to describe cats which were nearly all white (with high degree of white spotting) as "white". And even at present, when it was confirmed by the geneticist that Vans and Angoras are definitely separate breeds, Vans are sometimes confused with Turkish Angoras, although a side-by-side comparison reveals vastly different characteristics. The Angora cats originated in the ancient Byzantine city Ankira that was also known to the West as Angora, and descended separately from the Vans.
History of Turkish Van Cats
Physical Characteristics
The Turkish Van is a large, semi-longhaired cat with a swimmer's body. 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 to be disproportionate. These cats are large and muscular and feature short necks. Male Vans grow to about 16 pounds while females tend to be a bit lighter in weight, 12 to 14 lb. A Turkish Van will take up to 3 years to reach full maturity. Vans have been known to reach 3 ft. long from nose to tip of tail
The shoulders of the Turkish Van are broad with the ability for one to place three fingers between the legs at the chest area. It is said that large Van males are the only domestic cats that cannot follow their heads through a fence due to the broadness of their chest and shoulders. The rear end on the cat should not exceed the width of the shoulders - in other words, no bell bottomed or pear shape should be seen.
Temperament
Turkish Vans are very intelligent, and will easily take over their home and owners. They are people cats that want to be with people wherever they go. They like to play and jump and explore anything in their reach, which is quite large. They are energetic; they play hard and sleep hard. Unusual for cat breeds, Turkish Vans love to play in the water and will join you in the tub for a dip or help you in the sink and are known as "the swimming cat." Many Turkish Vans are dedicated to fetching their particular object of interest, and many owners describe them as "dogs in a cat suit" because of their unusual personalities.