No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club does not list this breed in its breeder directory at all, so an absence here says nothing about whether anyone breeds it in Portugal.
Large, muscular cat with distinctive Van pattern (colored head and tail, white body). Famous for loving water.
Ancient natural breed from the Lake Van region of Turkey. Famous for swimming ability and love of water. Distinctive Van pattern with colored markings only on head and tail. Turkish national treasure.
Generally described as agile, intelligent, loyal, playful, energetic, active and affectionate.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: The Cat API; Prevalence of congenital sensorineural deafness in a population of client-owned purebred kittens in the United Kingdom — Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine; FIFe breed standard. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Turkish Van standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Semi-long on the body, fine and silky texture.
No woolly undercoat.
Base colour
Chalk white with no trace of yellow
Shortened from FIFe standard TUV — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2024. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
A tick means FIFe recognises that colour in at least one variety with that pattern. It does not mean every combination is recognised.
| Colour | Solid | Tabby |
|---|---|---|
| Black | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue | Accepted | Accepted |
| Auburn | Accepted | Accepted |
| Cream | Accepted | Accepted |
| Black tortie | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue tortie | Accepted | Accepted |
Read from the table at the end of the FIFe standard. Smoke, silver, golden and corin are FIFe’s own names; the exact EMS codes and the eye colours are in the standard.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Turkish Van breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
1 condition documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Turkish Van in general; any individual animal can differ.
Linked to the same dominant white coat / blue eye mechanism documented in other white cats. A UK study found congenital sensorineural deafness in nearly half of the solid-white kittens it tested from this population — but that figure describes fully white individuals closer to the ancestral 'Van Kedisi' cats of the Lake Van region than to most Western pedigree Turkish Vans, which are bred to the 'Van pattern' standard: a white body with colour confined to the head and tail.
What to ask for
A BAER hearing test result for the specific kitten, and ideally both parents, with the proportion of white coat noted. There is no DNA test for deafness itself
Linked to the same dominant white coat / blue eye mechanism documented in other white cats. A UK study found congenital sensorineural deafness in nearly half of the solid-white kittens it tested from this population — but that figure describes fully white individuals closer to the ancestral 'Van Kedisi' cats of the Lake Van region than to most Western pedigree Turkish Vans, which are bred to the 'Van pattern' standard: a white body with colour confined to the head and tail.
What to ask for
A BAER hearing test result for the specific kitten, and ideally both parents, with the proportion of white coat noted. There is no DNA test for deafness itself
