| Revision as of 05:14, 12 November 2012 edit98.215.45.128 (talk) →Naming controversy← Previous edit | Revision as of 05:15, 12 November 2012 edit undo98.215.45.128 (talk) →Naming controversyTag: section blankingNext edit → | ||
| Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
| To increase the population of the Van cat, the local government of Van instituted a program to residents the equivalent of ]200.00 per month to keep one. This program was discontinued by a later government.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}} | To increase the population of the Van cat, the local government of Van instituted a program to residents the equivalent of ]200.00 per month to keep one. This program was discontinued by a later government.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}} | ||
| ==Naming controversy== | |||
| Van cat is claimed as a cultural icon for both the Armenians and the Kurds, as well as the Turks.<ref></ref> | |||
| Armenians often consider the breed to be ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tacentral.com/features.asp?story_no=6 |title=Van Cats | Armenia Travel, History, Archeology & Ecology | TourArmenia | Travel Guide to Armenia |publisher=Tacentral.com |date= |accessdate=2011-11-30}}</ref> Prior to 1915, the area ]. In general, the Armenian homeland is centred on Lake Van<ref>Studying the Holocaust: issues, readings, and documents - by Ronnie S. Landau - 1998, p. 101</ref> and it was also a center of ancient Armenian culture.<ref>Arshile Gorky, 1904-1948: a retrospective, by Diane Waldman, H.N. Abrams, 1981, p. 255</ref> All the Vanetzis (Armenian inhabitants of Van) loved the Van cat<ref>The many worlds of Arshile Gorky, by Karlen Mooradian, Gilgamesh Press, 1980, p. 84</ref>, and among them ], who sculpted Van cats at early 1910's.<ref>The many worlds of Arshile Gorky, by Karlen Mooradian, Gilgamesh Press, 1980, p. 87</ref> Descendants of the Western Armenians who escaped the ] (1915–1918) scattered all over the world, consider the Van region their motherland and the Van cat to be a part of their culture; Armenian writer ] wrote a short novel where the cat has been used as a symbol of the Armenian liberation movement.<ref>Vrtanes Papazyan, ''Vana Katu''. Yerevan, Arevik publ., 1988, 224 p.</ref> Armenian authors ] and ] also mentioned Van cat in their works.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| | author = Րաֆֆի | |||
| | date = | |||
| | url = http://www.eanc.net/EANC/library/Fiction/Original/Raffi/Kaycer_II.htm?page=2 | |||
| | title = Kaycer | |||
| | work = | |||
| | publisher = eanc.net | |||
| | accessdate = 2010-07-06 | |||
| | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/60uqFdu7t | |||
| | archivedate = 2011-08-14 | |||
| }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | |||
| | author = Բակունց Ակսել | |||
| | date = | |||
| | url = http://www.eanc.net/EANC/library/Fiction%5COriginal%5CBakunts_Aksel%5CStories_1.htm?page=26&interface_language=en | |||
| | title = Մթնաձոր | |||
| | work = | |||
| | publisher = www.eanc.net | |||
| | accessdate = 2010-07-06 | |||
| | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/60uqGMU3i | |||
| | archivedate = 2011-08-14 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| == In popular culture == | == In popular culture == | ||
Revision as of 05:15, 12 November 2012
Not to be confused with Turkish Van or Turkish Angora. | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Van cat" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Van Cat | |
|---|---|
 A typical odd-eyed Van Cat kitten. | |
| Origin | Lake Van area of Turkey |
| Variety status | Not recognised as a standardised breed by any major breed registry. |
| Notes | |
| The Van cat is a landrace, not a formal breed. | |
| Domestic cat (Felis catus) | |
The Van cat is a distinctive landrace of domestic cat found mainly in the Lake Van region of eastern Turkey. It is large, all-white, and frequently odd eyed. The naturally occurring Van cat type is the basis of the Turkish Van breed, internationally selectively bred with a more recently developed ruddy colouring pattern on the white, as standardised and recognised by many cat fancier organisations.
History
The Van cat has been reported living in the vicinity of the city of Van for centuries, and medieval sources mention white cats as being one of the exports of the Van region. The cats are named Van kedisi (plural kediler, nominative kedisi) in Turkish, Vana katou or Vana gadou (Վանա կատու) in Armenian, and pisîka Wanê in Kurdish. Each literally translates to 'cat of Van' or 'Van cat'. Armenian people who settled in the Van region revered this breed of cat.
At the end of the 19th century, Sultan Abdul Hamid II is said to have owned a Van cat, and having one is still seen as a status symbol: a Prime Minister of Turkey received one as a gift, and an ambassador from Greece put himself on a waiting list to get one. Kittens for the breeding center could be purchased for $30 in 2006, but their export from Turkey is theoretically outlawed (with a reported fine of $50,000).
During the late 1990s, the Van cat emerged as an informal municipal symbol of the city of Van – an enormous statue of a Van cat and kitten now stands at the entrance to the city. The cat appears in a local comic strip, and in the logos of bus companies, shopping centres, various businesses, etc. Ironically, this symbolic popularity has been juxtaposed with a simultaneous serious decline in Van cat numbers.
Characteristics
The cats are notable for their lean, long-legged appearance. They are reported to like water more than most cats, and have been seen swimming in Lake Van.
Their most notable genetic characteristic is their almond-shaped eyes that often are mismatched colours. The most valued and valuable members of the type generally have one amber-green eye and one blue eye.
Current status
The Van cat is a "natural breed" (landrace), not a formal breed of cat. They can still be found in east Turkey, near Lake Van, although their numbers have diminished (a 1992 survey found only 92 pure Van cats in their native area). All forms of Van cat are now under the protection of the Turkish government.
There is a breeding and research center for the all-white variety at the Van Cat House. It was established in the mid-1990s within the campus of Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi ('Van Hundredth Year University'). However, reports have revealed that the living conditions for the cats held there leaves much to be desired, and the breeding programme seems to be ineffective in reversing the Van cats' declining numbers. As of 2006, the center housed about 100 young adults and kittens, and is open to the public for a nominal entrance fee.
To increase the population of the Van cat, the local government of Van instituted a program to residents the equivalent of US$200.00 per month to keep one. This program was discontinued by a later government.
In popular culture
The mascot of the 2010 FIBA World Championship of basketball, hosted by Turkey, was an anthropomorphised Van cat named "Bascat". He had a white coat and odd eyes, one blue and one green, and his head was shaped with design cues from the crescent moon on the Turkish flag.
References
- ^ http://newspot.byegm.gov.tr/2006/february/ns11.htm
- ^ "Van Cat". Official website of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture & Tourism. Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism. p. 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- Paruyr Sevak, "The Unsilenceable Belfry" (Պարույր Սևակ, ԱՆԼՌԵԼԻ ԶԱՆԳԱԿԱՏՈՒՆ), published in 1959: "...Թե՞ ազատվելու հուսահատ ճիգով Լող էին տալիս հազա՜ր ու հազա՜ր Վանա կատուներ՝Վառվող աչքերով ..."
- "Armenian Vans - Real "Aristocrats"". Tour Armenia. TACentral.com. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
- Sor, Dara (11 January 2006). "Kurdish National Pride: Pişika Wanê - The Van Cat". Land of the Sun: Kurdistan. BlogSpot. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- The mysterious, magickal cat, by Deanna J. Conway, Deanna J. Conway - 1998, p. 190
- Wright, Michael (1980). The Book of the Cat (1st ed.). London: Pan. pp. 50–52. ISBN 0-330-26153-3.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - "The Turkish Van The Swimming Cat". Cats and Kittens Magazine. Pet Publishing inc. 2000. Archived from the original on 2007-12-04. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- Van City Guide Ankara 2005. Ankara. 2005.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "Van City Guide", Ankara, 2005.
- "2010 FIBA World Championship Event Guide: Mascot". FIBA. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- "Van, Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture information book 62", Ankara 1994.
- "Van City Guide", Ankara, 2005.
- "Van", Gezi pocket guides, Istanbul, 2004.
- Travel Guide to Turkey
- Turkish cat; dazzling beauty from the oriental culture.
External links
- Van cat at the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism website.
- VanCat.org - a website about Van Cats.