We’ve had several cats come in and out of this house and the apartment we lived in previously; ten cats, to be exact. Some were with us for as little as two weeks, some as many as the full five years that we have called Maryland home.
We have been able to identify the breed of each and every one of these cats immediately by looking at them; calicos, tortoise shells, tabbies, etc., which are all domestic short hair breeds. However, we could never identify one of them: Sara. Her breed has always eluded us. When asked what kind of cat she is, we’d either say, “I think she’s some type of domestic medium hair” or “whatever the hell Sara is.”
Until recently, that is.
I contend that the internet knows everything. You just need to ask it a question via Google, Yahoo, or some other good search engine. I prefer the former, but the latter can turn up some good stuff too.
A former employeer of Nad referred to Sara as a “van cat”, a term I never heard before. I typed that into Google and was surprised to find sites that featured cats just like my Sara.
The Cat Fanciers Association’s site is the first that came up. Their description of the turkish van breed matches Sara almost exactly:
The coloration of the Turkish Van, which is considered by many to be the original breed to carry the piebald gene, calls for a white, semi-longhaired cat with colored markings restricted primarily to the head and tail.
Now that I’m writing this update, I can’t seem to find the site which stated “turkish vans have what is called The Mark of Allah, which is a single dark spot that disrupts their white fur.” Sara’s got one of those, on her rear right leg.
There are a couple of things about her that suggest that she is not a purebreed. For one, her “helmet” and tail are colored grey, not cream or auburn. Her eyes are yellow, not the amber or blue described in the breed standard. Also, her hair is a bit shorter than the other turkish vans pictured, especially the hair on her tail. Lastly, Sara doesn’t swim.
I’m happy that we have finally identified her breed, as it is something that I’ve always wanted to know.
