Cat's Name & Age:
Sandy-Lostar II aka "Losti" aged about 4 years.
Best Characteristics of the Breed
Loyal, loving, consistent, eclectic appetite, healthy
Most Challenging Characteristics of the Breed
Declines a collar and tag. He has 'vanished'. ID implant necessary
When, Where and How I Got My Cat
During my world travels and as a cat lover, my two years in Turkey induced a fascination within for the Turkish Van breed. I did acquire a Turkish cat (not a Van) who accompanied me for over 15 years on my travels and the breed is somehow endemic in me. Later I acquired two ginger queens who I thought were toms and christened Freddy & Mercury :) Alas Mercury met with a fatal accident and I decided I would adopt an adult cat. I picked up an ad in a local shelter for a "Turkish Van" and I decided to investigate. Sandy Hobo as he was called, turned out to be a Turkish Van cross. We fell in love. The rest is history.
I'd Describe My Cat As…
A solid citizen of the world. I immediately changed his name to a proper Turkish one. I have a Turkish friend called Lostar and I deemed that name suitable. His bridge partner's name is Sandy, coincidentally with his original name, so I combined the two and shortened it all to "Losti". He is healthy, even-tempered and eats most things on offer.
Losti is sociable and at ease with visitors, having been originally rescued from an old-age home. Visitors will be inspected one by one and given a paw stretch of approval - or not - as the case may be. This literally means he extends his left front paw if content with the candidate.
I was hoping he would do the 'water thing' that Turkish Vans originally did, however he is not interested in dabbling in water; nevertheless he will sit and stare at a bowl of it for long periods, possibly hearing ancestral whispers of those felines who swam in Turkey's Lake Van before him.
He is not into loud or continuous shows of affection, but quite often will settle on the sofa behind my head where we have head-butting sessions - literally - and much enjoyed by both of us. We both purr. When he chooses to change ends on the sofa, an amusing situation usually arises with Losti versus Harriet Potter, my Jack Russell, who considers this her domain. The saga begins with the usual 'stare each other out' session, followed by a 'chase the cat's tail and nip it' chapter; this is followed by 'smack the dog's nose - short, sharp and not-so-sweetly'. Invevitably one or other becomes unseated on around a 50/50 basis.
After an initial 'cold war' period of about a month with Freddy the two cats have become buddies and explore the garden together, Indian file, with Losti in the lead. Fortunately neither of them bring 'offerings' to me which they presumably catch from time to time. To be honest Losti would be hard pressed to make an offering out of his favourite avian friends - they are called Ha-di-dahs here in South Africa and are bigger than he is. Undeterred, he sits next to them on the roof next to the tv aerial which makes for a very cute picture.
I absolutely adore the Van with their stolid, stoic and loving appeal. Even though Losti is a cross (without the slightly angora coat) his fur is bunny-rabbit soft and he has most of the attributes that the Turkish Van apparently has, so I highly recommend the real McCoy or the X; they do not have to be orange and white either - I challenge anyone not to adore my Tabby Van !
Advice
- Try to keep within garden bounds (sigh - hope dies eternal!) they tend to wander out of bounds
- Resist picking them up - apart from the fact that they can grow very large, they prefer terra firma under their paws, not the laps of men in tweed trousers or ladies smelling of lavender
- Listen to them carefully, they do not usually meow loudly and they purr softly
- Vary their diet so you and he/she are not 'locked in' to a particular kind of food - they are not too fussy about food - as long as there is plenty of it
- Identify with implant if collar-resistant
- Sociable - Love them and they will Love you
