Van cats implanted with chips to maintain bloodline
VAN – Anadolu Agency
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Experts at a university center in the eastern province of Van are attempting to preserve the famous Van cat breed by implementing a new chip system that will facilitate the tracking and maintenance of the all-white felines.The Van Cat Track System was initiated last year by the Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYU) Van Cat Research and Application Center to ensure the cats’ pedigree.
As part of the work, chips were implanted with injectors under the cats’ skin to provide information about their kittens, mothers, fathers and siblings.
Van Cat Research and Application Center Director Professor Abdullah Kaya said the center was established in 1992 to ensure the survival of the Van cat breed.
“The goal of the center is to preserve the breed of Van cats. This is why we want to know everything about these animals; their behaviors, number of kittens and [health] of the kittens. The chip system gives us this information,” Kaya said.
The professor said they had so far implanted chips in 120 cats at the center.
The center is attempting to selectively increase the number of members of the breed, Kaya said. “We don’t attempt to increase the number of every Van cat that we find. There are some features that we registered as [traits of the] national race. We are trying to increase the number of cats that have these features.”
The cats are categorized as pregnant mothers, suckling mothers, breeding fathers or kittens and fed them with the necessary foods.
A Van cat for each house
The center was in a very good condition in terms of treatment, environment, heat and food quality, Kaya said, adding that they were very careful about the cats during mating season.
Ultimately, Kaya said they would like to see every house in the city to possess a Van cat. “We will continue working until we get to this goal. Van cats have been here for a long time and we should know their value and pass them on to the next generations. We expect everyone to feel the same.”