Hi Y'all

[Another Cat Lady]

I'm a new member and very happy to be here and get access to all this great info!

This cat has been so different and such a great companion that I suspected he was different somehow. I got a note one day from a friend who said this cat might be a Turkish Van. As I researched, it seemed he totally fit the description in appearance and temperament. He's almost 17lbs! He has this amazing coat and is really more like a dog than a cat. Soooo, what do you cat experts thi Know?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! WOW, what a fabulous cat!!

Turkish Van Cats: 5 Fascinating Things You Should Know

 

[lutece]

He's a lovely cat! I would describe him as a red tabby and white (harlequin pattern) domestic longhair. "Harlequin" refers to a cat that is mostly white with color patches on the head, tail and body. "Van pattern" would be a white cat with color patches on the head and tail.

We frequently have people coming here wondering if their van pattern cat is a Turkish Van. However, the van and harlequin patterns are simply the result of having two copies of the white spotting gene, which is the same gene that is responsible for white spotting in bicolor and tuxedo pattern cats. Most likely, both parents of your beautiful cat had white spotting, and your cat inherited one white spotting gene from each parent.

Unless you're located in Turkey (or your cat came from Turkey), it's very unlikely that your cat would have Turkish Van ancestry, as that breed is extremely rare in the US, with only a few breeders working with this breed.

 

[StefanZ]

Another possibility as a somewhat look alike is the Norwegian cat.

Its really my proposal and statistically somewhat more probably than Turkish van.

 

[lutece]

Another possibility as a somewhat look alike is the Norwegian cat.
Its really my proposal and statistically somewhat more probably than Turkish van.

If the OP is in Europe like you StefanZ , NFC is more probable than Turkish Van... However, in the US, the NFC breed is extremely rare, and for the most part only bred by a few hobby breeders, similar to the Turkish Van. In the US, the NFC doesn't attract many backyard breeders or for-profit breeders, unlike the Maine Coon, Ragdoll, or even the Siberian cat (which has become more popular recently because of the "hypoallergenic" hype). Yes, lots of people believe they have an NFC or NFC mix, but it's not a likely ancestry for a cat in the US.

 

[mazie]

I know nothing about the various breeds myself, but I do know "a beauty" when I see one. He is very handsome! What is his name? and, Welcome to TCS!!

 

[Another Cat Lady]

He's a lovely cat! I would describe him as a red tabby and white (harlequin pattern) domestic longhair. "Harlequin" refers to a cat that is mostly white with color patches on the head, tail and body. "Van pattern" would be a white cat with color patches on the head and tail.

We frequently have people coming here wondering if their van pattern cat is a Turkish Van. However, the van and harlequin patterns are simply the result of having two copies of the white spotting gene, which is the same gene that is responsible for white spotting in bicolor and tuxedo pattern cats. Most likely, both parents of your beautiful cat had white spotting, and your cat inherited one white spotting gene from each parent.

Unless you're located in Turkey (or your cat came from Turkey), it's very unlikely that your cat would have Turkish Van ancestry, as that breed is extremely rare in the US, with only a few breeders working with this breed.

thank you! im so curious bc we are no where near Turkey LOL. ive been reading about the TV and hes eerily similar. i may do a dna test on him.
of course it doesnt matter bc he is divine in every way and i could not love him more!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Another Cat Lady]

I know nothing about the various breeds myself, but I do know "a beauty" when I see one. He is very handsome! What is his name? and, Welcome to TCS!!

thank you! Im so happy to be here! He's such a doll. his name is DaBoy. lol. hes the John Wayne of cats! he is sweet and very loving but he does boss my Siamese around.

 

[Furballsmom]

Does your meezer need some Musicforcats . com?

 

[Another Cat Lady]

you guys are the cat's meow!! hahaaa.

DaBoy is devine...except when he gets poop stuck on his butt.

 

[Furballsmom]

LOL
Try the music, your meezer will like it