Van Cat House

Research centre for the endangered Van cat — white-furred, often with one blue and one amber eye

The Van Cat (Van kedisi) is a regional breed and something close to a local mascot — white-coated, often odd-eyed, and uncommonly fond of swimming. Pure-bred Van cats are now rare and protected; the Van Cat Research and Application Centre at Yüzüncü Yıl University, on the western edge of the city, keeps a colony of around 100 of them.

Visits are casual: a small fee gets you into a series of glassed-in rooms and outdoor enclosures where the cats lounge, climb, and (when the staff bring out a paddling pool) swim. It is the kind of stop that sounds underwhelming and turns out to be one of the most enjoyable things in town, especially with children.

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A story
The Van cat is unusual among felines for actively liking water — they will swim in the lake when the weather is warm. Their characteristic odd-eyed look (one blue, one amber) is the result of a recessive gene that also produces their pure white coat.

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