Van cat

Van cats have been reported living in the vicinity of the city of Van and the general Lake Van area for centuries; when tribes transitioned from hunter-gathering to crop farming and settled life. In addition, the white-spotting in domestic cats appeared at the earliest stage of cat domestication, and is one of the points of evidence of early artificial selection. However, this does not necessarily mean that white cats have been in the Van area the entire time. == Breed registration ==

, 2006 Van cats form a landrace (naturally occurring, random-bred variety, often feral), and are not a standardised breed of cat. They can still be found in east Turkey, near Lake Van, although their numbers have diminished (a 1992 survey found only 92 pure Van cats in their native area). There is a breeding programme for the solid white variety, operated by the Van Cat Research Centre (a.k.a. the Van Cat House), established in 1995 at the campus of Yüzüncü Yıl University. the centre housed about 350 young adults and kittens, is open to the public for a nominal entrance fee, and cats can be adopted. However, reports have suggested that the living conditions for the cats held there are not optimal, and the programme seems to be ineffective in reversing Van cats' declining numbers. == Characteristics ==

Appearance Van cats are solid white, Their most notable genetic characteristic is their almond-shaped eyes that often are mismatched colours. belief that the formal Armenian Van breed is innately more fond of water than the average cat. Lushington wrote: "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. It is unclear if Lushington means the cats of the Lake Van area, or her own Van standardised breed. Tabor's BBC documentary states: "The reason for [its] fame is that the Van cat is known as 'the swimming cat' [....] Here at Lake Van [...] these cats do enter it, and swim." == In regional culture ==

Van cats are claimed as a cultural icon by Armenians, Kurds, and Turks, who have inhabited the region at different periods in history. Armenian Armenians often consider the landrace to be historically Armenian, as the Lake Van area had a large Armenian population and was within the Armenian homeland prior to their local extermination during the genocide of 1915. The local Armenians were said to have "revered" the cat. Among them was post-impressionist and surrealist artist Arshile Gorky, later an immigrant to the United States, who sculpted Van cats in the early 1910s. Armenian authors Raffi, Axel Bakunts, and Paruyr Sevak have featured Van cats in their works. Turkish ), near the city of Van, 2005 breeder Laura Lushington (co-founder of the "Turkish Van" formal breed, from cats procured from various parts of Turkey), wrote of the local Van cats, "they are much loved and prized by the Turks for their exceptional character and unique colouring." and the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (which also regulates livestock) does not control the export of these or any other cats from Turkey. The 1991 BBC documentary indicated that the solid white cats are locally prized in Van, and even coveted by visitors. While most Van cats are feral street cats, tourists have been known to steal pet Van cats from residents. Kurdish The Van region has a large Kurdish population, and Van cats have been referred to as "Kurdish cats" or the "Kurdish Van cat", and made a symbol of Kurdistan in Kurdish nationalist circles. Some media sources reported that Turkish soldiers poisoned about 200 Van cat. These claims ultimately seem to have come from an animal rescue group called SOS Van Cats Rescue Action, a spokesperson for which stated: "The cats are Kurdish, and the Turkish authorities are unable to digest this." ==Notes==