Van Cat

Van Cat Villa, a sanctuary dedicated to preserving the unique Van cat breed, is celebrating the birth of its first kittens of 2024 as two mother cats give birth to a total of five healthy kittens, marking the start of the breeding season at the facility.

The "Van Cat Villa," which houses numerous domestic cats in the eastern province, has welcomed more than 90,000 visitors in five months, giving a boost to the local tourism.

The Van cats, famous for their different eye colors and pure white fur, are meticulously taken care of at the "Van Cat Villa" located on the Yüzüncü Yıl University campus.

A total of 130 kittens were born in the Van Cat Villa, a center in the eastern province of Van where rare Van cats are put under protection, in a year, Demirören News Agency has reported.

Van cats are domestic cats found in the Lake Van region that are famous for having heterochromia (one eye blue and the other amber in color).

Some 30,000 people have visited a center in the eastern province of Van, where rare Van cats have been put under protection, since June 1.

Van cats are domestic cats found in the Lake Van region that are famous for having heterochromia (having one eye of blue, the other of amber color).

Van cats, which are under protection at the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) Cat Research Center in the eastern province of Van, gave birth to the first kittens of 2021. (AA Photo)

An internationally valid "health certificate" is prepared for Van cats, visited by local and foreign tourists, within a project to protect their generations and increasing their numbers. (AA Photo)

Van cats, reputed worldwide for their extraordinary eye colors and soft, white coats, now listen to Mozart in their Cat Villa at Yüzüncü Yıl University in the eastern province of Van where they are under protection.

Van cats, which have become the symbol of eastern province of Van with their white, silky fur and different eye colors, will be on the podium at the International Happy Cats Contest in Istanbul.

Two Van cats, named "Su" and "Başak," have been nominated for the Istanbul International Cat Beauty Contest, which will be held between Oct. 31 and Nov. 3. The contest will host 200 cats.

The number and quality of cats under protection in Van Cat Villa in the eastern province of Van is improving each passing year. Click through for the story in photos.