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Question
A friend who bred Turkish Van and Flame Point cat's passed away several months ago.  She was a older lady and a widow.  She had no family and very few friends.  She was a very wealthy lady and her animals were very well cared for.  Our problem is, we went over and picked out the kitten of our choice. We do not know if it is a Turkish Van or a Flame Point.  Her estate is being Auctioned away and we don't have any access to any of her paperwork.  Also this is our first kitten. We believe him to be about 11 weeks old.  We don't have a vet record on him so we got her first set of shots 3 weeks ago when we attained her. She was wormed then with Drontal and again last week. I have pics I could send you and maybe you could tell us her breed or forward them to someone who could.  He is going to be neutered so it really is not that big of a deal. We are just curious. He possibly may even be a mix between the two.  
Thanks,
Joseph Stooksberry

Also, if you have any hints on raising a kitten for the first time such as health, diet, etc, please let us know!! We are feeding Purina Pro Plan for kittens. Meat is the first item listed on label.

Answer
Hi!  First off, the question regarding the kitten being a Turkish Van vs. a Flame Point should be easy...to my knowledge the flame point is a color variation in persians (and a few other breeds though not widely reconized).  If it has the characteristic flattened face and nose of the persian breed, then it must be a flame point.  If however, it looks like most domestic cats with a 'typical' face and is primarily light to white on the body with a colored tail, then it must be a Van!  If you believe him to be a mix between the two, just send pics and I can give you my opinion.  However, most breeders are pretty careful and not big on mixing breeds.  So, if you would prefer to send photos I will be more than happy to take a look at them to tell you for sure.  It is so sad that the lady passed away and the cats had to find new homes...hopefully they were all placed in homes!?  

Nothing is more fun than having a new kitten!  I'd highly recommed checking out Ann Martin's books. http://www.newsagepress.com/foodpetsdiefor.html
Both books are excellent and can inform you about foods, etc.  I am a huge fan of by-product free diets...brands like Purina and even Science Diet contain some pretty cheap fillers and products which you literally wouldn't believe are allowed into pet foods.  Most vets trust brands like Science Diet who have been marketing their products to vets for years...and the profit margin is super high!  Most vets don't even think about researching or questioning the ingredients, etc.  However, a few are now strongly protesting the company (and others) and advocating by-product free foods. After careful consideration and years of research on foods, I'm now satisfied with the Wellness and Nature's Variety brands.  I could go on and on about how just a change in diet helped all of my animals...my diabetic cat was 'cured', no longer needing insulin in under a week, all of the cats within a month had super shiny healthy coats, their allergies disappeared, etc.  You can check out some of my past answers in regard to diet.  I also advocate on feeding both canned and dry, and only twice daily...as cats were not meant to 'graze' and weight problems due to over eating can cause major health problems.  It sounds like you are on the right track having him already checked by a vet, wormed, etc.  He will definitely need another set of shots though.  I also really recommend investing in a Furminator (comb), I've never been much on trying out new grooming tools but it is by far the best brush/comb that I have ever used on all of my animals.  It's worth the money.  Just be sure and get the med. size for cats, as when the kitten grows up, the small just takes that much longer to use to remove all of the hair.  Right off hand, I can't think of any further information to include...if you can think of further questions please don't hesitate to ask and I'll do my best to answer them!
Hope this helps and have fun with the kitten!