Tonkinesis | Facts & Information

Origin

Uni brown cats and chocolate Siamese, most likely the original Burmese and Tonkinese, first came to England from Siam in the late 1800s. At first, all varieties were displayed in British feline exhibitions, but in the early 1900s only blue-eyed Siamese were accepted in exhibition halls.

Cats that did not have blue eyes were not accepted in competitions and gradually disappeared from felises.

Tonkinese made its reappearance in the early 1960s when Canadian breeder Margaret Conroy crossed a black Burmese with a seal point Siamese.

The kittens were light brown with azure eyes and pleasant personalities. At that time, neither Burmese nor Siamese were found in their extreme forms today, so the original Tonkinese had an intermediate silhouette of the two aforementioned races, the silhouette that has remained unchanged to this day.

Originally called The Golden Siamese, Tonkinese was renamed in 1971, apparently after the Tonkin Lowland, considered the cradle of Vietnamese civilization. Although Tonkinese did not come from that region, the name gave it a pleasant exotic resonance.

Although Tonkinese was very controversial at first, so neither Siamese nor Burmese breeders wanted anything to do with it, the breed has steadily gained popularity. The Canadian Cat Association was the first feline office to recognize its membership, and today, all feline associations in North America accept Tonkinese as a member.

Cats of the Tonkinese breed are especially appreciated by cat lovers who loved the traditional Siamese (old style) and who wanted a cat with a less extreme appearance and a face physiognomy common in today's exhibition cats.

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Appearance Cat Tonkineza

Tonkinese is neither robust like Burmese nor slender like Siamese, but lies somewhere in the middle between the two. Surprisingly heavy when raised, Tonkinese is a medium-sized cat, but muscular and athletic.

The head is conical, slightly rounded, and the ears, of medium length are carried high. The almond-shaped eyes are generally slightly oblique, greenish-blue in color.

Her limbs are muscular and supple, and her hind ones are a little longer than her forelegs. The paws are oval, and its tail is supple and has a considerable length.

Because Tonkinesis inherits the genes that determine color and pattern from both parent breeds, this cat is found in three patterns according to inherited genes: uni like Burmese, pointed (with extremities of another color, usually darker) like Siamese and Mink, a variety somewhere between the two breeds.

The mink (Mink) variety is a characteristic of Tonkinesis and is considered a standard of breed truthfulness in the standards of many associations, although some of them accept the pointed and uni varieties. However, even uni varieties have the extremities of the body a darker color, but the contrast between the two shades is much less obvious.

The mink variety (Mink) occurs when the cat inherits one copy of the Siamese gene and one copy of the Burmese gene. Since both genes are recessive, the result is the appearance of a slightly lighter shade of the body than the coloration of the extremities. The color of the eyes, greenish-blue, is also a characteristic of variety and breed. Pointed tonkineses have blue eyes, and single ones have green to golden eyes.

The colors accepted are natural (brown with dark brown extremities), champagne (cream-yellow to beige with tan extremities), blue (pale gray-blue in warm shades with Slate Blue extremities) and platinum (pale silver-gray with dark silver-gray extremities).

The contrast between the background color and the color of the extremities varies depending on the model. Other colors such as red, cinnamon, tan and cream exist, but are rarely found and are not accepted by all associations.

Adult tonkinesis weighs around 2.5-5.5 kg, males being slightly larger compared to females.

Behavior Cat Tonkinesis

Tonkinese has an interesting, fascinating personality, which should not surprise you since Burmese and Siamese are valued for their temperaments. Tonkinese inherited the best of her ancestors ' character, Siamese curiosity, cleverness and communicativeness, and Burmese liveliness and sociability.

Their voices are weaker and less shrill compared to Siamese and generally not so loud. However, they believe in the free expression of felines and want to tell you all the adventures they went through while you were away from home.

Tonkinese make any activity a play, whether that means helping you make the bed or assisting you with the preparation of dinner. Highly sociable, Tonkinese crave affection and companionship.

They create strong bonds with their human companions, holding on to them, so if you spend a lot of time away from home, Tonkinesis is not a good choice for you.

In the absence of human companionship, other feline or other species, Tonkinese can become depressed or cranky and consequently a disagreeable companion. Therefore, it would be best to offer your Tonkinese a feline companion to keep him company.

Features Cat Tonkinesis

Its very short and silky coat needs minimal care.

Brushing once a week will keep your Tonkinesis splendid.

She will have to be bathed only if she gets dirty with various dangerous substances, otherwise she will be able to take care of herself without any intervention on your part.

Ears and nails will be checked and regularly groomed.

Diseases Cat Tonkinesis

Tonkineses are generally hardy and healthy cats, but be sure to purchase your companion from a reputable breeder who will provide you with a health certificate.

Like its Siamese ancestor, Tonkinesis is prone to gingivitis, so maintenance, dental care and annual check-ups are mandatory.

Males, as with any other breed of cats, are not safe from feline urological syndrome (formation of pebbles in the kidney or bladder), which is why attention should be paid to nutrition and the occurrence of possible difficulty urinating.

The Ideal is that after the age of 6-8 years, even if you have a healthy specimen, to make a routine check and some investigations (ultrasound, X-ray, blood and urine tests) to detect early any sensitivities and to try to remedy them through a proper diet or with the help of an appropriate treatment.

The average life span is 9-15 years.