Tonkinese ~ Chocolate
Tonkinese ~ Lilca
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Tonkinese ~ Chocolate
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Tonkinese ~ Lilca
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| A Siamese-Burmese hybrid in a mink coat This new breed initially called the Golden Siamese was created in North America and Canada in the 1930s by crossing the Siamese and the Burmese. At first, it was not popular at all. Note that at the time, the Siamese was larger and stockier, and the Burmese was less round than today. Not until 1960 was this cat, renamed the Tonkinese, finally appreciated. It was recognized in 1974 by the Canadian Cat Association and in 1978 by the C.F.A. Popular in the United States, the Tonkinese remains rare in Europe. |
| Clever, active, witty, intelligent, fearless, and willful. Tends to be mischievous. Combines the best of Siamese and Burmese. Does well as a pair. Gets along with children and dogs. Loyal and loving. |
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Head
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Head : the head is a modified slightly rounded wedge somewhat longer than it is wide, with high gently planed cheekbones. The muzzle is blunt, as long as it is wide. There is a slight whisker break, gently curved, following the lines of the wedge. There is a slight stop at eye level. In profile the tip of the chin lines with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane. There is a gentle rise from the tip of the nose to the stop. There is a gentle contour with a slight rise from the nose stop to the forehead. There is a slight convex curve to the forehead. |
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Eyes
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Open almond shape. Slanted along the cheekbones toward the outer edge of the ear. Eyes are proportionate in size to the face. |
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Ears
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Alert, medium in size. Oval tips, broad at the base. Ears set as much on the sides of the head as on the top. Hair on the ears very short and close-lying. Leather may show through. |
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Neck
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Moderately long, muscular. |
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Body
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Torso medium in length, demonstrating well-developed muscular strength without coarseness. The Tonkinese conformation strikes a midpoint between the extremes of long, svelte body types and cobby, compact body types. Balance and proportion are more important than size alone. The abdomen should be taut, well-muscled, and firm. |
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Paw
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Hind legs slightly longer than forelegs. Well-muscled. Oval paws. |
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Tail
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Moderately long, broad at the base but not thick, tapering slightly to the tip. |
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Coat
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Short, fine, silky, lustrous, luxuriant, lying very flat against the body like that of the mink. |
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Colour
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Characteristic Siamese markings on a darker background close to the original color of the Burmese. These markings blend gradually into the coat with no clear contrast as in the Siamese. The Tonkinese does not attain final coloring before 16 months and tends to darken throughout life, like the Burmese and Siamese. Colors are the same as for the Burmese but slightly more subtle: - natural mink (sable in the Burmese; seal in the Siamese): medium warm brown body and dark chocolate extremities - champagne mink: cream chamois body, light brown extremities - blue mink: soft blue-gray body, medium blue to slate-gray extremities - platinum mink: very pale silver-gray body, darker silver extremities - honey mink: apricot gold to amber body, reddish-brown extremities The C.F.A. does not recognize the honey mink variety. |
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Fault
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Round head, round eyes, short muzzle. Cobby or Oriental type body. Bars on the body. Bone deformities in the tail. Yellow eyes. |
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Disqualify
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Yellow eyes. White locket or button. Crossed eyes. Tail faults. |
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Character
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Always on the alert, the Tonkinese is active and playful. As an athlete, he needs space, but he tends to run away. Very sociable with other cats, gentle and affectionate toward his owner, the Tonkinese is less exclusive than the Siamese. Still, he requires lots of attention and despises solitude. In terms of grooming, he requires weekly brushing. While a Siamese-Burmese cross produces only Tonkinese kittens, it must be noted that mating two Tonkinese statistically produces 50% Tonkinese, 25% Burmese, and 25% Siamese kittens, which explains why European cat associations do not consider the Tonkinese to be a true breed. |
| Usually hardy. Low resistance to upper respiratory disease as kittens, like other Oriental breeds. May be sensitive to particular vaccines, and gas anesthetics are preferred to intravenous procedures. |
Tonkinese ~ Cream