Turkish Van Grooming

About the Turkish Van

The Persian is the reason professional cat grooming exists: a dense coat with a thick undercoat that mats against the skin and needs daily combing to stay ahead of.

A Turkish Van looks like it belongs in the same conversation and does not. The coat is semi long and it has no undercoat at all. What it has instead is a single cashmere textured coat that is naturally water resistant, and undercoat is the part that felts.

The result is a long haired cat that barely mats, needs combing about once a week, and grows short enough in summer to be mistaken for a shorthair. A groomer who books it as a Persian is quoting for work that is not there.

A single coat, and what it means in practice

A Turkish Van carries one coat rather than two. The hair is semi long, soft, and unusually textured, often described as cashmere or rabbit like, and it has a natural water resistance that is genuinely unusual in a cat.

Because there is no undercoat, there is very little for mats to form from. Tangles happen in the ruff, the britches and the tail plume, and they comb out. Pelting against the skin, which is the whole problem on a Persian or a Himalayan, is not a normal Van issue at all.

Comb once a week with a fine metal comb, twice during the seasonal change. That is the routine, and for most of the year it takes a couple of minutes.

What a Van does not need is a slicker, a deshedding blade or any of the heavy tools a double coated cat gets. There is no undercoat to rake out, and working a slicker over a single coat pulls out live hair and irritates skin.

Do not clip a Van. There is no matting reason to, the coat gives it protection and insulation, and a single coat that is clipped can come back with a different texture.

The coat also holds very little dirt because of the water resistance, so a healthy Van stays clean with no help.

The seasonal change, and the cat that looks like two cats

A Van sheds seasonally rather than steadily, and the change is dramatic enough that owners photograph it.

The winter coat is full: a long ruff around the neck, heavy britches, and a thick plumed tail. In late spring it comes out over several weeks, and the summer cat is close to a shorthair with a long tail still attached. Then it grows back through autumn.

Comb daily through the change. It is the only period of the year that needs real attention, and the loose hair a Van produces in those weeks is considerable even without an undercoat.

The tail plume stays long year round and is the last thing to change, which is why it is the most recognizable part of the cat.

A Van that does not go through this cycle, or that thins symmetrically on both flanks, or develops bald patches, is a veterinary question rather than a seasonal one.

Combing through the change is also the main control on hairballs, which is the practical argument for keeping it up even in a cat that never mats.

The water, and what it is actually useful for

The Turkish Van's reputation for liking water is real and unusual. Many, though not all, will play in water, paddle in a bath, drink from a running tap and in some cases swim, and the water resistant coat means they do not get soaked to the skin the way another cat would.

It is a genuine breed trait rather than folklore, and it has two practical consequences.

The first is that bathing a Van, on the rare occasion one is needed, is usually far less of an ordeal than bathing any other cat. If a Van needs washing after getting into something, the odds are good it will tolerate it.

The second is that a Van will find water it is not supposed to be in. Toilets, sinks, fish tanks, garden ponds and bathtubs are all of interest, and that is a household safety point rather than a grooming one.

None of that means a Van should be bathed routinely. Cats keep themselves clean and unnecessary bathing strips a coat that is doing a job, so bathe for a reason and not on a schedule.

If you do bathe one, rinse thoroughly and dry it properly, because a water resistant coat is slow to release water once it does soak in.

Van pattern, size, and the rest of the routine

The Van pattern is the breed's signature and is now the name for the marking generally: a chalk white cat with color restricted to the head, usually as two patches separated by a blaze, and a fully colored tail. Auburn is the classic, cream is the other traditional color, and other colors are accepted in some registries.

Many Vans carry a small colored patch between the shoulder blades, called the thumbprint. It is a normal marking and not a stain.

The white is the part that shows dirt, particularly on the front legs and around the mouth, and it is worth wiping the face after meals since that is where staining shows.

Vans are large, slow maturing cats that take three to five years to reach full size, and they are muscular and heavy for their length. That matters for nail care, since a big cat exerts real force, and for handling.

Claws want tipping every two to three weeks, and the usual rules apply: the sharp tip only, well clear of the quick, and a scratching post rather than declawing.

Ears, teeth and weight get the ordinary attention every cat needs.

What to tell your groomer

Say that the cat has no undercoat, so it is not a Persian style job and does not need a dematting or deshedding appointment.

Ask for a metal comb only, and specifically not a slicker or a deshedding blade on a single coat.

Say the coat is not to be clipped.

Mention the seasonal change if the cat is mid way through it, so a thin summer coat is not mistaken for hair loss.

Say that the cat may well tolerate water better than expected, which changes what is worth attempting.

Ask for claws tipped, and expect a large strong cat rather than a delicate one.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Turkish Van