Breeders Profile

Yenicizgi Turkish Vans,
White Turkish Vans (Vankedisi) & Turkish Angoras

Name:

All photos courtesy of Marianne Upham (right, with Tammuz).

Tell us a bit about you:
I have always admired cats since I was a youngster when my godmother, who bred Siamese, introduced me to her cats in the 1960s. I was unable to have pets as a child because my father travelled abroad frequently and having animals would not have been fair to them. This did not stop me adopting strays but involved the heartache of finding them new homes when we moved on.

Our final foreign home was Turkey, I was in London training to be a nurse and visited during my holidays. It did not take me long to find a kitten which needed help (around 3-4 weeks old called Scruffy (below left)). Within a short space of time we were offered another older cat from an ex-pat who had to return to UK.

Fluffy (below right) was a white Turkish Van. I had never heard of these cats until then, and I was amazed to find she adored playing “retrieve”. Sadly Fluffy had to stay in Turkey when we returned home as she was too old to face quarantine, but luckily a teacher fell in love with her and adopted her from us. Scruffy came back to the UK and led a pampered life until he died at the age of 18.

Why did you choose your breed(s)?
I missed the character of the Turkish cats and HAD to find another.  Ideally I wanted a white Turkish Van but at this time there were none in the country.  In 1994 I obtained my first Turkish Van, Kedi, to learn more about the breed.

Why/how did you start breeding?
In 1995 I had the opportunity of obtaining a white Turkish Van, Alanya, for potential breeding - but Alanya failed to hold a pregnancy.  Tests proved there were no fertility problems and I believed travelling back from stud was the problem, so I had a big decision to make.  Did I commit myself to breeding and obtain a stud cat or keep my cats as pets?

I decided to obtain a stud and despite the hard work and commitment this demanded it was the best decision I could have made.  Alanya had her (and my) first litter of kittens before my first stud Simbad was a year of age.

Why did you choose your prefix?
My first chosen prefix was not accepted – but I made sure my second choice was by making up a Turkish word which explained my objective.  Yeni means 'new' and Çizgi means 'line' … so, Yenicizgi - 'new line', as my aim was to introduce new blood lines to the breed.  This prefix is registered with GCCF, FIFe and TICA.

When were your most memorable occasions as a breeder?
The first was when I obtained my first odd-eyed white Turkish Van - Multiple Merit Tansdale Tammuz (left), thanks to breeder Mrs Suzann Lloyd with whom I had been working with to re-establish the breed. Tammuz is registered with all three registries and has shown with them all, although sadly he is not keen on showing. In 2006 he was awarded a trophy from the Aristocats Club for Best New Variety of which I am very proud. He has stunning eye colour which is more pronounced due to his white coat.

Tammuz has fathered some lovely kittens - the most recent litter included Vanjmali Lockerbie Lassie and Vanjmali Gentleman Jim (right), both of whom did extremely well at the Turkish Van Show in October 2007.

The second would be when I obtained my first Turkish Angora, Yalinca’s Hurriyetci Can Can (below left). I always like to have a pure black cat amongst my establishment and when I knew my current beloved moggie Sam was terminal I knew I would have to have another black cat. I had itchy palms for a challenge and I knew breeding Turkish Angora’s would certainly be that. My thanks go to Diane Goossens who agreed to let me have Can Can, kept her in Holland to comply with the Travel Scheme and then brought her over so she could be assured that she would be well looked after.

Who were/are the most memorable cats you've had?
I cannot mention one Turkish Angora without the other! Damuzi of Sweet Passion (below right) is a red smoke Turkish Angora stud cat. He is so affectionate, with a very gentle nature. Within a week of arrival from Germany he had unbeknown to me mated Can Can at their first introduction - while leading me to believe they were wary of each other! The pair produced five lovely kittens, which have now moved on to their new homes.

Damuzi was shown FB, but sadly was very nervous; however, he did manage to obtain a CAC. Again I owe the priviledge of owning him to his breeder Sandra Raddatz in Germany who was willing to keep him in her household until he was ready to come to UK.

Finally, my own pride and joy, Gr Ch Yenicizgi Zurvan (below right), my present Turkish Van stud cat. Zurvan is the first cat which I have bred that I could not part with. He was a Champion before he was one year of age, then got 6 Res Gr Certs in 6 straight shows obtaining BOB at all of them. He then obtained Grand Champion in 3 straight shows (& BOB). His final competitive show was the Turkish Van Show where he obtained a 4th Gr Ch Cert and was awarded Best In Show Adult Male. He can now rest on his laurels and enjoy the “good life”!

What are your hopes for the future of your breed/your breeding programme?
I hope the breeds gain a higher profile, I still have people say to me "a Turkish what?".  In my opinion it is sad that all three of these natural breeds are unknown to many, they make absolutely brilliant indoor pets and get on well with children and other animals.

My goal now is to obtain a Turkish Van from Turkey to open up my breed lines further in 2008. I have been searching for three years but admit I am very particular and know it has to be the right cat.

I also plan to obtain another Turkish Angora from either Europe or USA because at present there are very few breeding cats in UK, my present stud boy has only been here 7 months but has already sired 2 litters with 3 more planned. He will then be retired and the search will begin for another boy.

Is there anything else you'd like to mention?
I have recently decided to keep a little girl called Yenicizgi Cibele (Turkish Van) and hope to bring her out on to the show scene in 2008 whilst she is young to see if I can attend more shows. Let’s hope this little girl likes the FIFe style of showing. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Aristocats webmaster for offering me the opportunity of being included in the breeders’ profile series - like other breeders I am proud to be a member of this excellent club.

Marianne Upham

November 2007