Who is Pairodocs?
Pairodocs Turkish Vans was established in 1988 by two friends Karen Hooker and Deborah
Hayes. We met at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. as graduate students,
earned our respective Ph.D.s and graduated together in 1986. We decided it would be
fun and rewarding to work together to promote and preserve the Turkish Van breed.
Since we both had Ph.D.s it seemed only natural that we name our cattery
"Pairodocs". It also followed that we name our first show male "Baby
Doc".
Our Breeding Philosophy
Our breeding philosophy is to maintain or improve the health, personality, and genetic
viability of the Turkish Van as a breed. To accomplish this, our first priority is
to produce happy, healthy, and well socialized cats. We raise our cats underfoot and
do not confine them to cages. Because we do spend a lot of time with our cats and
kittens, we limit the number of litters born in any given year. Our breeding focus
is on Quality not Quantity. As a result, we do not always have kittens available for
sale. Since we have been working with the Turkish Vans for over a decade, we have an
extensive knowledge of the Van pedigrees and work to maintain the genetic diversity of the
cats we breed. Maintaining a diverse gene pool is critical to the long term health
of any breed. We maintain an extensive pedigree database and make it available to
other Van breeders who are serious about the breed in order to help them make informed
decisions about future breeding. If you look closely at the pedigrees, many of the
Turkish Vans cats in the U. S. today go back to the same basic lines. Therefore,
bringing in new cats from Turkey on a regular basis is necessary to maintain the breed's
natural hybrid vigor.
Showing
Since our beginning in 1988 we have actively shown cats in both the Cat Fanciers
Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA). Pairodocs was THE
driving force in achieving championship recognition for the breed in CFA and the very
first CFA Turkish Van Grand Champion was GC Pairodocs Harlequin Dancer. We have won
seven International Best of Breed awards in TICA and two National top 20 wins (the only
such wins for any Turkish Van in TICA). We have had numerous Grands in both
organizations and several Supreme Grand Champions and Regional Winners in
TICA. See Pairodocs Show Results and
Successes.
The Armenian Connection
The Lake Van region of Turkey, where the Van cat originated, was part of Armenia until the
early part of this century. The Van is an integral component of the Armenian culture
dating back to the middle ages. When forced to leave the Lake Van area, the Armenians left
behind the cats they so loved. Pairodocs has helped to re-establish the breed in
Armenia, by sending a male kitten, at no cost, to serve as their foundation male.
Pairodocs Sipan and a female from SummitSprings Cattery in California were greeted as
royalty upon their arrival in Armenia. In 2000, Pairodocs Ani joined
the family, and was a TV celebrity upon her arrival in Armenia. They
are all producing beautiful babies now that are truely Armenian Vans.
A Resource
Pairodocs has actively contributed to, or organized educational briefings, workshops, and
presentations about Turkish Vans. We have authored a workbook on the breed to assist
judges in CFA and written numerous articles for newsletters and cat magazines. We
were also the primary authors of the current CFA Breed Standards. We love to talk to
interested individuals and groups about the breed and share our knowledge with
others. We have supplied cats to, and mentored numerous new Van breeders over the
years. If you are interested in the Turkish Vans, our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
section covers many commonly asked questions about the breed. If you have any
questions about the Turkish Vans, please do not hesitate to contact either one of us.
