Turkey is overseeing a project that puts up for adoption hundreds of unique Van cats, famed for their different colored eyes and fluffy furs.

The project "A Van Cat in Every Household" was launched eight years ago by the Turkish Van Cat Research Center. It aims to raise awareness and interest in the unique felines.

Located in the eastern Van province, the research center works under the auspices of the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University.

It was founded in 1995 with the goal of preventing the prized breed from going extinct.

"We put around hundreds of cats up for adoption," Abdullah Kaya, the head of Van Cat Research and Application Center, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

The cats receive unique ID cards that help authorities keep track of their whereabouts, health and the adoption process.

Kaya added that the IDs were part of this process to track the state of the cats.

Van cats can be categorized based on the color of their eyes and furs.

While some are odd-eyed – one blue and the other amber – others have a pair of blue or amber eyes.

Some cats also have completely white fur but others have a dash of brown above their ears, head, or on their body.