A cat at the Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ) Van Cat Research and Application Center has given birth to three healthy kittens through a caesarian section.

Director of the center, Associate Professor Abdullah Kaya, told Anadolu Agency that the procedure had been successful and the center was happy to have three new additions, two females and one male, as a result of the caesarian section.

Noting that Van cats sometimes have difficulty giving birth naturally because of the size of their offspring, Kaya said, "Of course some problems can occur during birth. The mother cats are fed and treated very well, but because of this, their babies sometimes grow to be too large. This is why they cannot give birth naturally."

If the kittens grow too big for the mother, the center's staff can then medically intervene. "We encourage them to give birth with drug supplements, but if that doesn't work we deliver the kittens at the Veterinary Faculty Animal Hospital Birth Policlinic by caesarian section," Kaya explained.

Kaya also said that so far, 12 healthy kittens have been born to three different Van cat mothers through caesarian section, adding that the center would continue to carry out research on the Turkish breed.