Tonkinese cat

Young blue mink adult

Tonkinese are a medium-sized cat, considered an intermediate type between the slender, long-bodied modern Siamese and European Burmese and the more "cobby", or substantially-built American Burmese. Like their Burmese ancestors, they are deceptively muscular and typically seem much heavier than expected when picked up. Tail and legs are slim but proportionate to the body, with distinctive oval paws. They have a gently rounded, slightly wedge-shaped head and blunted muzzle, with moderately almond-shaped eyes and ears set towards the outside of their head.[1] The American style is a rounder but sculpted head with a shorter body and sturdier appearance to reflect the old-fashioned Siamese and rounded Burmese from which it was originally bred in the United States. While many American breeders avoided using the extreme "contemporary" Burmese in favor of the more moderate "traditional" Burmese, the original Tonkinese breed standard was based on the extreme spherical style of the Burmese descended from Wong Mau. Newer Tonkinese breeders wanted to avoid defective genes in the original Burmese lines, so avoided using cats they believed carried the so-called lethal genes. A very few older breeders simply worked around the problem by selective breeding, thereby eliminating problematic births. It is possible to find some descendants by knowledgeably reading Tonkinese pedigrees, which are available in Tonkinese databases.[4]

Counter-clockwise from top: blue mink, lilac solid/sepia and chocolate mink.

Depending on the terminology used by a specific region or cat registry, the Tonkinese breed comes in certain or all of the following genetically possible cat coat colors:

• Black (brown, seal, natural)
• Blue
• Chocolate (champagne)
• Lilac (platinum)
• Cinnamon
• Fawn
• Red
• Cream
• Additional dilute modifiers (caramel, apricot)

Each of these colors is in turn divided into three types of colorpoint coat pattern:

• "point", the classic Siamese-style dark face, ears, legs and tail on a contrasting white or cream base, and blue eyes;
• "solid" or "sepia", similar to the Burmese, in which the color is essentially uniform over the body with only faintly visible points and golden-amber or green eyes; and
• "mink", a unique intermediate between the other two, in which the base is a lighter shade but still harmonious with the point color, and the eyes are a lighter blue-green, called aquamarine.[1] They can be anywhere on the entire blue-green to green-blue spectrum.

Additionally, all colors can present in the tortoiseshell or tabby patterns. Owing to the comparatively recent development of the breed there is still some acceptable variation in these colors and patterns.

• Examples of different Tonkinese cats
• 
  Semi-longhaired blue mink
• 
  Blue tabby mink
• 
  Red mink
• 
  Chocolate tortoiseshell mink
• 
  Lilac mink (top) and lilac point (bottom) kittens, notice the different eye colors
• 
  Chocolate mink and black point kittens

Depending on the cat registry, not all colors and patterns are allowed for the Tonkinese cat breed. Tonkineses are currently officially recognized by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and World Cat Federation (WCF)[5] in only four base colors: black (brown, seal, natural), blue, chocolate (champagne), and lilac (platinum). All four base colors are allowed in the three colorpoint patterns. The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) accepts brown, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, and fawn, red, cream, plus caramel and apricot. These colors are allowed in the tortoiseshell and tabby patterns, and additionally the three colorpoint patterns.[6] Similar to the GCCF, The International Cat Association (TICA) accepts all of the genetically possible colors and patterns,[7] as they are not a selective association, whose breeds and colors are determined by its breed councils and the executive board.

Like both parent breeds, Tonkinese are intelligent, active, vocal and generally people-oriented cats, playful and interested in everything going on around them; however, this also means they are easily susceptible to becoming lonesome or bored. Their voice is similar in tone to the Burmese, persistent but softer and sweeter than the Siamese, similar to the gentle quacking of a duck. Like Burmese, Tonkinese are reputed to sometimes engage in such dog-like behaviors as fetching, and to enjoy jumping to great heights.[8]