4. There's a Research Center Dedicated to the Van Cat
With fears that the cat was near extinction, the Van Cat Research Center was established at Yuzuncu Yil University in 1993 and a breeding program was initiated in order to increase Van Cat numbers. Open to visits from the public, the research center raises the kittens and prohibits them from being removed from the city.
Sometime in the 1990s, a statue of the Van Cat and her kitten was erected at the entrance of Van, officially becoming a symbol of the city.