A life dedicated to Van cats

There's nothing - earthquakes, family ties, the chance for a summer holiday - that stops Mehmet Bayır from taking care of his cats.

"I've dedicated my years, childhood and my youth to cats," said Bayır, who has been working at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University's Van Cats Research and Application Center for the past two decades. "Van cats are my second family. Before getting married and having children, I already had a family here. I spend most of my time seven days a week here. I am proud of my job because Van cats are a significant cultural treasure for our country."

Every day, Bayır cleans the living spaces for the cats while providing them with special care if and when they fall ill.

Van cats, which are distinguished from the other felines with their white hair and yellow and blue eyes as well as their emotional character, have become more famous around the world thanks in part to the work conducted at the center in the eastern province of Van. 

Van is visited by thousands of local and foreign tourists every year, and the center is one of the most important tourist attractions in the city. 

Bayır, 34, said he started working at the center when he was 14 because of economic difficulties and that it was a very unique feeling to spend all one's time with Van cats. 

Bayır said each of the 120 cats in the center had a different character and emotions, allowing him to distinguish all the cats from each other. 

Bayır said he had named some of the cats at the center, with some of them called Pamuk, Mestan and Paşa. 
"The number of cats was 30 at first but reached 120. But as the numbers increased and some of the cats I loved died for various reasons, I gave up naming the cats. I lost some of my cats because of...