I had a Turkish Van/ Turkish Swimming cat years ago. I got him as a kitten when I was stationed in Japan - someone else who lived in the same BOQ building as I did found him just outside the base gates. I went to see him, and he jumped up in my lap, folded his front paws, and started to purr. I was hooked immediately.
He liked to walk around the edge of the deep tub in the bathroom of my quarters. While I was soaking, he would dip his front paws in the water.
One time, when the water was draining out and I was still in the tub, he slipped and fell in. I was fully expecting to be a mass of claw marks as a panicked kitten used my legs as a tree to get out of the tub. He calmly started to walk around in the water, which was up to his chest. I was quite surprised, and relieved.
It was not until I was looking thru a book on cat breeds that I learned that there even was such a thing as a Turkish Swimming cat. His name was Max, and he had the classic look of the breed with orange ears and an orange tail. I had him for 20 years, and totally adored him.
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