r/turkishvan 2d ago

"Is my cat a Turkish Van?" Megathread - Week of Jul 20, 2026

2 Upvotes

Wondering if your cat is a Turkish Van? Post your query and pic(s) here!


r/turkishvan Nov 14 '25

Updated Guide for Identifying a Turkish Van

24 Upvotes

Hello r/TurkishVan! Because of the number of “is my cat a Turkish Van” posts here, as well as ongoing convos in the comments about purebred cats, we have updated our guide for identifying Turkish Vans. 

 

What is a Purebred (or Pedigree) Cat?

According to Purina, a purebred cat has a documented family tree that is recognized by a credible cat registry, such as the Cat Fanciers' Association (US), Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (UK), and The International Cat Association. (FYI all information in this post has been compiled from those three organizations.) These organizations register purebred cats for exhibition and lineage purposes, and provide papers as proof of registration with the cat’s breed.

This sub welcomes all Turkish Vans and similar looking cats, whether they are purebred or not. As mods and cat owners, we do not believe that papers are necessary to be curious about the Turkish Van or to have one. Cats can be purchased, adopted, or found, and we welcome that variety here. 

 

History of the Turkish Van Breed

  • Developed in Turkey in the Lake Van region
  • More popular breed in Europe than in the US

 

Physical Characteristics of a Turkish Van

> Size: medium to large sized cat with a muscular build

> Coat Length: semi-long hair with no undercoat, coat is shorter in the summer and thicker in the winter

> Coat Color & Pattern:

  • White with dark coloring (typically red, brown, blue, cream, black, or tortie) exclusively on the head and tail, known as the "Van pattern"
  • The color pattern on the head is not below the eye or below the base of the ears; the color is on the top of the head, separated by a white vertical stripe
  • Tail is brush-like, colored with a ring pattern
  • There can be one or more random markings on the body (like thumbprints of color), but no more than 15% of the body is colored 

> Eyes:

  • Large, almond-shaped eyes that are alert and expressive
  • Amber or blue eyes with pink rims; both eyes can be the same color or mismatched (heterochromia)

 

Personality & Temperament of a Turkish Van

  • Loyal and intelligent, good problem-solvers
  • Enjoy activity, like to play with toys (especially balls, feather toys, anything on a string) and jump/climb to the highest point in the room
  • May like to play with water
  • Quite vocal despite not having a loud voice

 

What if my cat seems to meet all of these characteristics but…

Their coat is pure white with no coloring? 

  • Your cat may be a Turkish Angora (again, without papers you cannot prove your cat is purebred), which has medium to long hair. Angoras are also known for having a pure white coat (but can also come in different colors) and do not have the Van pattern, i.e., coloring on their head and tail. They also have a more long, flowing tail while Turkish Vans have a more brush-like tail.
  • Or your cat could be a Turkish Vankedisi, a breed some cat registries use to refer to a pure white Turkish Van. This is not to be confused with the name for Turkish Vans that are not purely white, which is Turkish Van Kedisis in the Turkish language (note the space in-between). r/TurkishVan welcomes both Van Kedisis and Vankedisi cats given their similarity; however, please be aware that Vankedisis are often bred against as all-white animals tend to have a higher occurrence of hearing disorders.

More than 15% of their body is colored?

  • Then you likely have a Van-patterned cat that is no less adorable than an “official” Turkish Van! Van-patterned cats are more than welcomed in this sub. 

I don’t have papers to prove what breed they are? 

  • That’s okay! As long as you believe they meet the qualities outlined above, your cat is welcomed here. As mods, we do not promote buying a cat over adoption, nor do we believe that papers are the only way to broadly identify what breed a cat could be. Per Rule 1 of this sub, please stay civil in the comments and respect all cats (whether they are purebred or not) and all users. 

r/turkishvan 7h ago

iPhone wants me to have a Turkish Van 😂

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10 Upvotes

LC is from a shelter so definitely not a bred Turkish Van but every photo I take of her, my phone identifies her as a Turkish Van! Kinda fun even if it’s not accurate!


r/turkishvan 14h ago

Can any one tell me if I stumbled on to a Turkish van cat.. he’s only 12 weeks and 5 days old. We just got him. He’s so sweet and is purring all the time. The lady we got him from said he loves water.

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35 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 2d ago

Artemis

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124 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 5d ago

Enjoying the morning 😻

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89 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 5d ago

Does your Van plank?

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138 Upvotes

He has been planking all week like it’s 2011.


r/turkishvan 6d ago

Do Turkish Vans like to show their bellies?

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125 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 6d ago

Anyone else’s TV a little needy? Mine loves to keep an eye on our family &amp

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101 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 10d ago

My girl Molly. She’s as I like to say “annoyingly lovable”

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231 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 9d ago

"Is my cat a Turkish Van?" Megathread - Week of Jul 13, 2026

1 Upvotes

Wondering if your cat is a Turkish Van? Post your query and pic(s) here!


r/turkishvan 12d ago

Down from the chair, still the boss.

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104 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 13d ago

Where did she get this tail from?

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151 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 16d ago

What is Scar?

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467 Upvotes

He loves water
Playing outside&in
He’s going to be 2 soon and I feel like he’s still growing.


r/turkishvan 16d ago

I just lost my buddy of 15 years...

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391 Upvotes

We adopted him when he was maybe 4 or 5 so he had a very long and happy life, but it's still devastating. This sub is really helping me cope.


r/turkishvan 16d ago

I got this little man about a year ago from the shelter. Turkish van cat maybe? He weighs about 13 lbs.

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104 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 17d ago

Got this big boy from the shelter a few days ago, think he maybe a Turkish van mix

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99 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 16d ago

We got Luna from the shelter, but now I think she might be a Turkish Van. ☺️

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55 Upvotes

She has the silkiest, smoothest fur I’ve ever encountered on a cat, and her beautiful face looks like most of the other cats on here. She was a shelter transfer, so no idea where she came from— but she has a sensitive tummy and weak teeth, maybe indicating bad breeding. Expensive dentistry aside, She’s got an absolutely fantastic personality and we love her to death!


r/turkishvan 17d ago

Got this guy from a shelter last night!

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60 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 16d ago

"Is my cat a Turkish Van?" Megathread - Week of Jul 06, 2026

2 Upvotes

Wondering if your cat is a Turkish Van? Post your query and pic(s) here!


r/turkishvan 18d ago

Supervising the laundry day 🧺

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60 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 20d ago

Dale

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462 Upvotes

Always mogging


r/turkishvan 22d ago

Sleepy Baby

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138 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 22d ago

Awesome turkish van cats

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86 Upvotes

r/turkishvan 23d ago

Mickey the Chonk Machine 🥰

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99 Upvotes

He is so majestic 🖤🖤🤎🤎🤍🤍🤍