Editing Turkish Van (section)

==Physical characteristics==
[[File:Hobie the cat (rear view).jpg|thumb|"Ringed" tail pattern of a Turkish Van]]

[[File:Momo’s paw.jpg | thumb | right | alt=Turkish Vans have typically large paws that may have long tufts of fur between the toes. This paw (Momo’s) is a front paw. Notice the soft, wispy fur around the digits.  | A Turkish Van's paw — note the tufts of fur between the digits.]]

The Turkish Van is a large, muscular cat with a moderately long body and tail. It has strong, broad shoulders and a short neck; the jock of the cat world. The body of a Van should neither be stocky, or thin. It should call to mind the body build of an athlete, and indeed, it is one of the largest cats.<ref name=":1" /> They take from 3 to 5 years to reach their full maturity and when they do males range in weight from 10 - 20 pounds with females ranging from 7 - 12 pounds.<ref name=TICA>{{Cite web |title=Turkish Van |url= https://tica.org/breed/turkish-van/ |access-date=30 September 2024 |website=TICA.org}}</ref>

The coat on a Turkish Van is considered semi-long-haired.<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> While many cats have three distinct hair types in their coat – [[guard hair]], [[awn hair]], and [[down hair]] – the Turkish Van has no evident undercoat, only one coat.<ref name=":1" /> This makes their coat feel like [[Cashmere wool|cashmere]]<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> or rabbit fur. The lack of an undercoat gives a sleek appearance.<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> The coat is uncommonly water repellent,<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> which makes bathing these cats a challenge, though the coat dries quickly. The breed actually has two lengths of hair, determined by season. In the winter, the hair is thick and long. In the summer, the hair sheds to leave a shorter, lighter coat.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Turkish Van |url= https://www.petmd.com/cat/breeds/c_ct_turkish_van |access-date=17 July 2021 |website=PetMD.com}}</ref>  The coat begins short at birth and grows in gradually over a period of three to five years, so that the kittens may be short-haired in appearance, with thin tails, but as they mature, the fur on the chest will fill out, and the tail will thicken into a full brush tail. The tail does not shed hair or change according to the season, but remains long and full. The ears remain feathered with fur, so that even with its summer coat, the Van looks soft and fluffy.<ref name=":1" />

The Turkish Van is one of the larger cat breeds. Ideal type should feature broad shoulders with a body that is "top-heavy", that is, a cat with its center of gravity forward. The cat is moderately long, and its back legs are slightly longer than its front legs, but neither the cat itself nor its legs are so long as to be disproportionate. They have large paws and rippling hard muscle structure which allows them to be very strong jumpers. Vans can easily hit the top of a refrigerator from a cold start on the floor. They are slow to mature and this process can take 3 years, possibly longer. Vans have been known to reach {{convert|3|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} long from nose to tip of tail.

A Turkish Van may have blue eyes, amber eyes, or be [[Odd-eyed cat|odd-eyed]]<ref name="Turkish Van Cats" /> (having one eye of each colour, a condition known as [[Heterochromia|heterochromia iridis]]).  

The breed typically has very large ears when it is a kitten, growing into its ears over time. The nose is straight and Asiatic, considered long for a semi-longhair, and with its high cheek bones, and startlingly bright eyes, it gives off quite an exotic appearance.<ref name=":1" />