van cat, a snow white cat with different coloured eyes -- one blue and one yellow -- is in danger of falling victim to the armed conflict ravaging in Van, the remote southeastern town of Turkey. The cat, thought to have inhabited the region around Lake Van for hundreds of years, is now facing extinction says veterinarian Fetih Gulyuz of the Van Cat Research Centre in Van, Turkey.
According to Gulyuz, ten years ago the sleek white cats roamed the streets of Van in hundreds, living wild and scavenging from trashcans. Now, only 280 certified and purebred Van cats remain in the town. Taking into account the cats in the villages around the lake, the centre estimates there are not more than 500 cats alive today.
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