Turkish Van
The pattern is colour on the head and tail with a white body, and nowhere else. It swims, genuinely and by choice, which almost no other cat does.
Overview
The Turkish Van comes from the area around Lake Van in eastern Turkey and it genuinely swims, which almost no other cat does by choice. The coat is the reason: a semi long cashmere textured coat with no undercoat, which is water resistant and dries quickly.
The classic pattern is a white cat with colour restricted to the head and tail, and the breed is large, powerfully built and slow to mature, taking three to five years.
Temperament
Energetic, strong willed and affectionate on its own terms. Vans are not lap cats. They want to be in the room, involved and usually up high, and they object to being restrained.
They are intelligent and playful into adulthood, and they are notably physical: they climb, they leap, and they will get into water. They bond strongly to one or two people.
Care and grooming
A comb through weekly. Without an undercoat the coat rarely mats and it needs far less work than its length suggests, though it moults heavily in spring.
White cats with blue eyes carry a real risk of congenital deafness, and it is worth asking whether kittens have been hearing tested. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has also been reported in the breed.
Living and exercise
Space, serious climbing structure and tolerance for a cat that will investigate the bath. This is not a breed for a small quiet flat.
They are strong and large, ten to twenty pounds, and they need real outlets. Twelve to seventeen years is usual, and they stay active for most of it.
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