Editing Turkish Van (section)

==History==
[[File:Van Guzelli Iskenderun.jpg|thumb|Van Iskenderun Guzeli, one of the founders of the Turkish Van breed, imported from [[Hatay Province]] in 1955 by Laura Lushington; with her kitten Van Kehribar<ref name="Pond">{{cite book |editor-last=Pond |editor-first=Grace |title=The Complete Cat Encyclopedia|publisher=Walter Parrish Intl. |date=1972 |isbn=0-517-50140-6 |location=London}}{{Tertiary}}</ref>{{rp|114}}]]

In 1955, two British photographers, Laura Lushington and Sonia Halliday, while on assignment in Turkey for the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, were given two unrelated cats in Turkey, which Lushington took home with her and allowed to mate. When the offspring came out identical to their parents – chalk white with dark tail and head markings – she set to establishing a [[Breed standard|standardised breed]], originally named '''Turkish cat''', later Turkish Van, and having it recognised by the British [[cat fancy]] organisations. Lushington returned to Turkey to find another pair, with the goal of breeding to the standard "three clear generations".<ref name=":1" />

According to Lushington, her original imported cats were: Van Iskenderun Guzelli (female), a cat that came from [[Hatay Province]], [[Iskenderun]], and Stambul Byzantium (male), a cat given by a hotel manager in [[Istanbul]], both in 1955. Two later additions to the gene pool were Antalya Anatolia (female), from the city of [[Antalya]], and Burdur (male), from [[Burdur]] city, both in 1959. Lushington did not see Van city before 1963, and only stayed there "for two days and two nights".<ref name="Swimming">{{Citation |last=Lushington |first=Laura |title=The Swimming Cats |journal=Animals |volume=1 |issue=17 |pages=24–27 |year=1963 |url= http://vancatblog.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/cats/historic-articles |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140802044544/http://vancatblog.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/cats/historic-articles |archive-date=2 August 2014 |quote=My photographer and I were given special permits visit Van by air, for two days and two nights (...) Now at least I have been to Van, in Eastern Turkey, and seen with my own eyes the ancient city of Van and the glorious Lake Van}}</ref> It is unclear why the name "Turkish Van" was chosen, or why one of the original 1955 kittens was named "Van Iskenderun Guzelli", given their provenance. Of the founding 1955 pair, Lushington wrote, in 1977:

{{blockquote|I was first given a pair of Van kittens in 1955 while travelling in Turkey, and decided to bring them back to England, although touring by car and mainly camping at the time – the fact that they survived in good condition showed up the great adaptability and intelligence of their breed in trying circumstances. Experience showed that they bred absolutely true. They were not known in Britain at that time and, because they make such intelligent and charming pets, I decided to try to establish the breed, and to have it recognised officially in Britain by the [[GCCF]].<ref name="Pond" />{{rp|114}}}}

It is unclear whether Lushington was intending to imply that the Hatay and Istanbul kittens had originally come from the Lake Van region, or was simply referring to the Turkish Van [[foundation stock]] as "Van kittens" for short. Neither city is near Van Province, and there is no evidence that specimens of the [[Van cat]] landrace were ever among the foundation stock.

The Turkish Van was given full pedigree status in 1969 by the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] (GCCF). Called simply the Turkish cat at this point,<ref>''Rex, Abyssinian and Turkish Cats'', by Alison Ashford and Grace Pond, {{ISBN|0-668-03356-8}}</ref> the name was changed in 1979 in the UK (1985 in the US) to Turkish Van<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /><ref>Turkish Van Cat Club, ''Van Cat Chat'', No. 5, Winter 1985/1986</ref> to better distance the breed from the [[Turkish Angora]] cat (originally called simply Angora,<ref name="Pond" />{{rp|35}} an old spelling of [[Ankara]]).

The Turkish Van began to be imported into America in the 1970s. Beginning in 1983, two Florida breeders, Barbara and Jack Reark,{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} worked to popularise this breed, and in 1985, [[The International Cat Association]] (TICA) granted the Turkish Van championship status. In 1988, the [[Cat Fanciers' Association]] (CFA) accepted the breed for registration in the miscellaneous class. The CFA later bestowed provisional status to the Van in 1993, and championship status in 1994. In that first year, four Turkish Vans attained the grand title.