The Turkish Van is an ancient breed from the Middle East, kept as domestic pets for hundreds of years. They originated in the Lake Van region of Turkey. Lake Van is the biggest lake in Turkey and has several islands, the largest of which called Ahtamar has the remains of the early Christian Church of the Holy Cross built in 910. The lake is a ‘soda lake’, so any fish are only at great depths and near estuaries. The present day city of Van stands to the east of the ruins of the ancient city of Tushpa. It is also only a few miles from Mount Ararat and many believe that after the Ark came to rest on the top of the mountain and the flood waters receded that the cats left the Ark and made their way down the mountain slopes into Van. It is also recounted that Allah blessed all the animals as they were leaving the Ark, and the spot on their shoulders is reputed to be where he accidentally touched the cats.
They are much loved and prized by the Turks for their exceptional character and unique colouring. Apart from their great capacity for affection and alert intelligence, their outstanding characteristic is their liking for water, not normally regarded as a feline attribute. They not only dabble in water and play with it, but have been known to enter ponds and even horse-troughs for a swim – they soon became famous as the 'swimming cats.'
The Turkish Vankedisi takes up to 4 years to reach full maturity; it is a sturdy muscular cat weighing anything between 5 - 8 kg for an adult male. These cats have a summer and a winter coat due to the extremes of temperature found in Eastern Turkey. In winter the coat is longer and denser with adults developing a lion-like ruff and pantaloons, between the toes and inside the ears they have tufts of fur to help keep them warm in the colder climates.
They will insist in being involved, as they are very affectionate cats. Their temperament depends on how well they are socialised; generally they are very affectionate and crave human attention. They will sit on your lap and are happy to stay there for hours. Like the Turkish Vans they generally get on well with children and other animals.