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Posted over 7 years ago
| Updated over 6 years ago
I found a new home! Plenty of my friends are looking for one too. Check out other pets at this shelter, or start a new search.
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My basic info
Breed
Turkish Van
Color
White (Mostly)
Age
Adult
Sex
Male
Pet ID
–
Hair Length
medium
My details
Needs experienced adopter
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Montgomery:
9 yr old male, odd-eyed, Red and White Turkish Van
I have mentioned a few times in the bios I have written how not knowing a kitty’s history fills me with serious frustration. This is the case with my foster, Montgomery, also. Monty, as a middle-aged kitty, has had years of life which will always remain a mystery to us. I watch him and try to figure out how his life has unfolded.
First of all, Turkish Van kitties are quite uncommon. Their breed specifics state they must have a mostly white body with a color--red is the most common--on the head and tail. Typically, they have two fairly small spots of color on the flank. They are often “odd eyed," which is the term that describes eyes of two different colors. Their coat is “semi long” and lacks any under coat. They are large muscular cats with big shoulders who continue growing through their third to fifth year. Many love water.
In Turkey, they are considered National Treasures and are watched over and protected by government agencies. They are not genetically related to the longer haired Turkish Angoras.
So how did this very special cat end up in rescue? I only know his recent history. He ended up somehow in the Marin Humane Society and was adopted from there. Soon after taking him home, his adopter took on three part-time jobs and was out of the house seven days a week. Monty was very smitten with her but being so much alone in the home he was bored to distraction. It wasn’t a good match. She surrendered him to Purebreds, bringing him to me after having him about a year.
Monty is unusual in how much he wants is to be with his human. He stays in connection with you and has a clear need to be loved and around his humans. He really wants that bond. He’s not a lap cat, but he’s a by-your-side cat, and in the same room cat. I think he had a loving home in his early years and somehow lost it. He is still looking to have that closeness again and has felt lost and unconnected without it. He wants so much to be settled in a home and loved. I think he was once put out of his house because he has no desire to go outside.
Monty is an affectionate, attention-loving, handful of a cat. He definitely needs someone with good cat experience who can read a cat’s body language and someone who is respectful of a cat’s intelligence, personality, and needs. He is not a stuffed animal toy. In the past a few times when he has been overstimulated, he has nipped at a human’s hand, a couple times breaking the skin. He has never nipped or bitten any of us who are in his foster home. We spoke with a vet about this and she felt the best way to remove this worry altogether was to slightly round the tip of his canines so there is no possibility of breaking the skin. She had done this to other cats before and said this would cause no harm to him so we had it done. It didn’t seem to affect him at all.
Monty is an alpha cat. When you look at his fuzzy, soft fur and two-color eyes, you would not expect the bit of macho that he has in him. This somewhat regal quality is why I say he is a lot of cat. His focus in life is on his human’s company. He is OK with most cats. I think he would get along with other non-aggressive cats who are not too competitive for his person’s attention. Monty, however, does not like dogs at all. We found this out the hard way when we adopted him to a cat-sophisticated family, very nice adopters, who had a youngish, large male dog. Just the presence of that dog on the other side of the door (they never met face to face) made him very upset--he would vomit, twitch his tail, and whine. He clearly had some very bad memories of dogs.
After a month's trial, we were glad to get him back. He arrived very stressed out and clearly glad to be back. We have kept him some months, loving him up, before posting him for adoption. He seems more mellow and good natured than ever. And gets very silly on catnip.
I would like for him to be adopted as an only pet or into the company of an older quiet kitty. If a man worked from home alone, for example, and wanted a kitty buddy, that would be a perfect situation for Monty. He reminds me a little of a Bengal I fostered. Like that Bengal, Ramses, Monty is not a good choice for a busy family with children or for an elderly adopter, or someone with a busy life who is not home much. Let me be clear. He doesn’t need nonstop attention like my Persian does, he needs deep companionship. Are you looking for that kind of connection? Monty is. The chance to live with him is a very special opportunity for the right person. He is a marvelous cat.
Monty eats wet and dry food and is litterbox perfect.
His foster mom is Harriet in Santa Cruz.
For more info on Turkish Vans a good site is: http://cattime.com/cat-breeds/turkish-van-cats#/slide/6
Contact Harriet at (831) 336-2983 or toharrietjane@comcast.net if you have questions, or send an Adoption Application. If you are unable to reach Harriet by phone or email, email us at Info@purebredsplus.org.
