Turkish Van

Hi my dear Steemit friends!
Hope you're doing fine.

Today I want to tell you about one of the most interesting cat breeds that I've ever seen - Turkish Vans.

The Turkish Van is a breed of domestic cats with semi-long hair, the origin of which is the territory of Lake Van, Turkey.

This is a cat with an uncharacteristic behavior for their fellows. Turkish Vans are often called “the swimming cats” because they’re said to love water. Fans of the fluffy feline claim they’ve seen the kitty jump into showers, pounce at dripping faucets, and splash through puddles, kiddie pools, and thunderstorms.

It’s unknown why Vans like water, but it’s likely that the breed developed its love for swimming—and its water-repellant coat—to hunt for the fish that live in Lake Van. Still, these claims are speculative, so unless your Turkish Van has proven its love for all things liquid, don’t try giving it a bath without clipping its claws first.

Turkish Van kittens are initially born with pale blue eyes, which change to a deeper blue or amber as they grow older. Occasionally, you’ll also see a Van with one amber eye and one blue eye, or two blue eyes of different hues. This unusual trait stems from the cat’s piebald white spotting gene, which sometimes prevents melanin, or pigment, from imbuing one eye’s iris with color.

Do not expect long meditation sessions and sleepy reclining on the couch. These are very active and mobile creatures that do not tolerate closed spaces and dark corners. The Turkish Van categorically does not like to sit on hands. You can pet them, talk to them, but you can not hold them even for 3 minutes.

The Turkish government officially recognized the Van and launched measures to protect it. Today, very few Turkish Vans are exported to other countries. It's sad because, because this beauty should be spreaded all over the world.

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