My Cat Looks Like a Turkish Van
by Joanne
I discovered Peaches on my front door step 3 years ago one morning when I was going to work. Her fur was fairly short back then and she only really looked like a kitten.
When we took her to the vet to get her spayed and micro chipped, the vet said she was no more that 8 months old and put her down as a domestic short hair.
Since then her coat has thickened dramatically to the point where she is considered a long hair now. We have no idea what breed she is and I would desperately love to know.
Peaches
I was looking through all of the different breeds of cats and the only one I think she most looks like is the Turkish Van.
Even though she may not be this breed it would be nice to know what she actually is. She is ginger and white (Ive been told this is unusual for a female, being ginger that is). And she has a big bushy tail and very long fur on her chest.(see pictures)
She is a very placid cat and very good around new people but she is always up for some playtime.
Thanks
Joanne Blyth
Hi Joanne… thanks for visiting and asking. Peaches look fantastic.
Well, I am going to stick my neck out. I think your cat could well be a red tabby Turkish Van. She may even be purebred although that is unlikely.
But, I don’t know how a purebred cat turns up on your doorstep. And Peaches is not perfectly to type if she was a purbred. The large spots on her back probably amount to more than 15% of the entirety. The ideal pattern for the Turkish Van is a “glistening chalk-white body with colored markings confined to the head and tail is preferred..”
And I think she is tabby judging by the faint “M” on the forehead and broken solid colour in the tail. If she is the ground colour should be creamy red. These are references to the CFA breed standard.
Anyway, Peaches has the classic van markings and her face looks like a Van cat too.
If she is not purebred she is probably a Turkish Van mix as you suggest.
Of course all this means very little in a strict sense as without certificates of pedigree you can’t say that she is purebred. You can just guess.
Someone else may well be wiser and more knowledgeable than me and I would welcome that – please comment.
Lastly, Peaches looks fantastic. You are lucky to be living with her, I think.
Hope this helps.
Best
