Territorial Turkish Van - A Hissing Situation?

by Paul Root
(Norwich, NY, USA)

Puddin is my Turkish Van that is very protective of her daddy, and whenever the daddy has company over, she hisses at the women, and sometimes the men. Most usually the women.

Is this the canine instinct of the Turkish Van? I would really like to know, and she often has accidents in the one bedroom that has been cleared out of it's bed and other furniture, and cleaned up, yet she still poops on the floor, and it concerns me greatly.

Paul Victor Root

Hi Paul... Thanks for visiting and asking. This is not solely a characteristic of the Turkish Van in my opinion.

I presume that you are "daddy". Your cat is being territorial. She accepts you as a relation, her daddy or mom.

Anyone else are intruders onto her territory which she protects with hissing.

Pooping as she does is territorial marking. It leaves a scent that is hers. All the wild cats do this routinely. Many domestic cats do it.

Spaying and neutering reduces the tendency to behave like this.

She may be a bit insecure too. You will need to try and make her feel more secure. Are you around all the time or infrequently? Does she have routine, play, good food, attention, space and are all the needs of a domestic cat met!

These all help a cat feel better and less anxious.

Please leave a comment and add some more detail. What is her lifestyle like?

Territorial Turkish Van - A Hissing Situation? to Turkish Van