Van cats, famous worldwide for their distinctive appearance, one blue and one amber-colored eye, are among the top attractions for visitors to the city of Van, eastern Türkiye.
Mehmet Atar Bayır, the animal supervisor at the Van Cat Villa, mentioned that approximately 200,000 local and foreign tourists visited the center in 2024.
With their different eye colors and pure white fur, Van cats, whose fame extends beyond Türkiye’s borders, are carefully cared for at the Van Cat Villa located on the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) campus.
The cats greet visitors with their charming personalities to preserve the genetic, morphological and physiological characteristics of the Van cat. Intense and meticulous research has been conducted since the establishment of the Van Cat Research Center in 1992.
The Van Cat Villa continues its efforts to ensure the continuity of the breed and also welcomes curious local and foreign tourists. The center contributes significantly to local tourism, with visitors coming in all seasons. In 2024, the center hosted about 200,000 visitors, including 100,000 locals, 70,000 students and 30,000 foreign tourists.
Bayır said: “This is a place where both local and foreign tourists visiting Van come, the number of people visiting the world-famous Van cat increases from time to time. This year, we hosted 100,000 local visitors, 70,000 students, and 30,000 foreign tourists. In total, we welcomed 200,000 visitors this year. Especially on holidays, families come with their children to visit the cats and interact with them.”
Ümmühan Deniz, a visitor to the Van Cat Villa, expressed her admiration for the cats, stating “We came from Izmir. My son lives here, and we wanted to see the Van cats when we visited him. We really liked them. We also loved Van, it’s beautiful. We visited the tourist spots, and today we visited this place. They are all very cute and beautiful.”