Turkish Van Cat Breed: Information, Health, and Facts

Turkish Van Cats are very elegant and intelligent. 

The Turkish Vans are and very playful. However, their hardiness means they won’t care for your needs. They may play fight with you. This is them trying to teach you how to fight.

They are very friendly towards children and infants. They are high-activity animals. They may display a high-activity energy nickname “THE ZOOMIES”. This may be during the day or night when you’re trying to sleep.

Turkish Van
Turkish Van

Quick facts about the Turkish Van

Weight: 10 to 18 pounds Height: 10 to 14 inches
Life span: 12 to 17 years
Intelligence: high Temperament: social
Playfulness: high Activity level: active
Vocalness: when necessary Coat length: long
Shedding amount: seasonal
Good with: kids | families | other cats
Traits: The Turkish Van cat is a friendly and easy to train breed. They are also tolerant of being left alone.

The Turkish Van has an average amount of grooming needs. They may need to be trimmed and brushed bi-weekly. This is to ensure nothing is trapped in their fur. 

A notable trait of the Turkish Vans is that they have broad and wedge-shaped heads. They also have straight nose asiatics. The Turkish Van also has distinctly high cheekbones.

They are very friendly towards other pets at times. However, they prefer giving love to pets over receiving love. At times they will be chasing or toying with other pets.

They are very intelligent pets and can be trained with buttons. These are vocalization buttons. The Turkish Van will be able to say simple words or feelings. 

Turkish Vans are on the larger sides for cats. They generally weigh between 10-20 pounds. They have a long body and tail. Females are often smaller than males and also weigh less.

Turkish Van

It is important to remember that cats can sometimes be independent of you. This cat has average independence – so they won’t travel far. 

The Color coating of Turkish Van Cats differs. Turkish Vans often have a white coat with an orange accent. This can differ from spots to stripes or dots.

Some Turkish Vans may have pale blue eyes, which change to amber eyes. This is a rare trait that prevents melanin or pigment from imbuing the cat’s iris.

Turkish Vans are climbers.
Be prepared to find your cat in extremely high places. If you have one, you should make plenty of space for climbing available.

Turkish Vans are often called the “swimming cat” because they love water. Many owners say that when they swim, their cat swims with them. The love for the ocean is thought to have been attributed to catching fish. 

The Turkish Van is by no means a quiet, cuddly lap cat. If you’re looking for a cat – if you’re looking for a livewire feline –  the Turkish Van might be for you.
 

Origin

Turkey

Health

Dr. Adedapo Adisa:

Originating from lake van in Turkey. The Turkish van cats are natural ancient cats known as the swimming cats as they love to play inside water.

They have excellent swimming skills, are easily trainable, and are intelligent cats.

With a life expectancy ranging from 12-16 years, the Turkish van cats enjoy remarkable good health with little or no conditions associated with the breed. Unlike their Turkish counterparts, Turkish angora cats, Turkish van cats are not prone to deafness.

Research has shown that Turkish van cats hardly experience inherited genetic conditions. However, the cat breed comes up with a heart condition known as Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

In this condition in the Turkish van cats, the heart walls begin to hypertrophy and thicken, especially the chamber responsible for pumping blood out called the left ventricle. This affects the way the ventricles pump blood to the system.

Also, the other chambers hold blood longer than they should, including the vessels bringing back blood oxygenated blood from the lungs. This eventually causes a clot to form and fluid forming and accumulating around the lung, a condition known as congestive heart failure.

Some common signs seen in the Turkish van cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy include,

● Increased heart rate.

● Irregular rhythm may be observed in the cats. 

● Cardiac murmurs could be observed.

● Exercise Intolerance in cats. 

● Cracking sound in the lungs as a result of fluid accumulation.

● Blood clots fragments and blocks vessels, leading to severe pain and paralysis may be seen.

● Cats may experience general weakness and lethargy.

It is essential to report to your veterinarian if one or more of these signs have been detected in your Turkish van cats. Although some Turkish van cats may not present with outward symptoms, screening their DNA for the mutated gene would help catch hypertrophic cardiomyopathy early enough.

Your veterinarian could also perform an echocardiogram in other to assess the level of hypertrophy around the heart walls of the Turkish can cats. This would help create a treatment plan for Turkish cats affected with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Turkish van cats that have been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy should be discontinued from breeding activities.

It is also important to vaccinate the Turkish van cats, have a regular dental routine to prevent periodontal disease, and deworm the cat regularly. This helps maintain their health and prevents Turkish van cats from coming down with common health issues that affect most cats.

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