Tonkinese Cat
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Cat Facts:
Breed Type: Man-made (re-creation)
Body Type: Semi short and sturdy, on low legs.
Coat Type: Shorthair
Size: Medium
Temperament: Loving, sweet, laid back, puppy like, friendly, loves everyone. They are lap cats that love to be held and they want to be with people all the time.
Colors: Platinum mink, platinum point, platinum solid, champagne mink, champagne point, champagne solid, blue mink, blue point, blue solid, natural mink, natural point and natural solid.
Origins:
The Tonkinese cat is a result of cross breeding between the Siamese and Burmese breeds in Canada during the 1960s. At first it was called the Golden Siamese, and was then renamed in 1971 after the Tonkin Lowland in Vietnam. It was thought that though it didn’t come from there, the name had a nice exotic ring to it.
The breed first came out with neither Burmese nor Siamese cat breeders wanting anything to do with it, but sure enough the Tonkinese breed steadily gained its own fan base. By 1984 the Tonkinese breed was accepted by the Canadian Cat Association (CCA) and the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) as a recognized cat breed.
Breed Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easygoing and laid-back
- Short thick coat does not require much maintenance
- Sociable, fun loving, involved cats
- They like people, other cats, children, and dogs
Cons
- Subject to genetic predisposition towards hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hip dysplasia and polycystic kidney disease in some genetic lines
- Generally not a lap cat
- Not a good choice if you spend a great deal of time away from home
May 16, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
JESS said,
CATS RULE AND WHO CAN’T SAY NO TO THE FACE OF A KITTIN
June 6, 2007 @ 11:43 am
rae said,
i have a tonk and let me tell you that they r the best!
July 12, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
Clark said,
My first Tonkinese, Blue, was given to me about 18 years ago. He passed away a couple years ago. My wife and I loved him so much we ended up buying a Chocolate from a breeder. When he ended up being her best buddy I demanded my own Tonk and we got another that was a Blue. We also ended up getting the Chocolates sister that is a Mink and her daughter that is a Point. We now have four and they are a big happy Tonk family. The Chocolate is an impressive jumper that can leap to the tops of doors. The Blue is a moose and weighs about 12 pounds, but is extremely athletic and playful. The two females are lap cats as is the Chocolate. Overall I highly recommend the breed. Everyone that has been around ours has fell in love with their personalities.
September 26, 2007 @ 9:01 am
Eleanor Barrucand said,
Mai-Li, our Tonkinese sweetheart, is now almost 13 years old (in cat years and about 70 in human years) and is the best buddy of both my husband and me. She has different behaviour patterns with each of us and we don’t whether we have learned to speak “cat” or she has learned to speak “human” but we are never under any mistaken ideas as to what she wants when she comes to us. She knows exacly what she wants, when she wants it and that we are her servants….remember the saying “dogs have owners but cats have servants”. It is true, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Everything is on Mai-Li’s terms but that’s O.K. because being elderly, we have the “empty nest” syndrome and our lovely cat fills the void of our family living across the other side of the world in Australia.
Mai-Li “inspects” everyone who comes to the house, then sits between them and us, esecially if it is a man who is visiting,until she feels comfortable about their presence.
I cannot imagine life without our “child” and I will bet that other “parents” of such cats will tell you the same.
Eleanor.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
January 3, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Natalie said,
In the ‘temperament’ subtitle, tonks are described as ‘lap cats’, however in the ‘cons’ subtitle, it clearly states that they are not lap cats. As somebody considering purchasing a tonk, are they or are they not lap cats?
January 24, 2008 @ 3:36 pm
Alley said,
I have 2 tonks and they’re wonderful. They ARE lap cats and love cuddling and sleeping. They are quite playful and sometimes I forget that they aren’t human!
February 21, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
bobwilson said,
We maul our little champagne tonk to death (with hugs, kisses, and love of course).
She enjoys every minute of it. We had many lemon cats (like the $500 Abyssinian), this was truly the first good cat, and was worth all $500 we spent.
I really like “eating her ears” by nibbling them off. She loves that too.
Even our grumpy old domestic shorthair loves to preen and lick her little friend, and they sleep together.
Highly recommended. Just be cautious, as the face is adorable, you will never want to discipline them.
April 10, 2008 @ 2:10 am
Liz said,
I have been saving for a tonkinese champagne mink cat ever since I heard they existed. I almost got enough! They are so expensive but it’s so worth it. It is like, the perfect cat for me!!!
May 3, 2008 @ 10:35 am
Em said,
I have a cat that looks like she is tonkinese but we don’t know. She is SOOOO cute playful and nice.
she like are other older cat but her favorite animal in our house is really our dog!!!
May 28, 2008 @ 8:53 am
Jan said,
Lap cats or not? Well they are in principle as affectionate as a hardcore lap cat - but not passive. They want to cuddle and hug, but they will come to you to let you know when they need a cuddle. Then they will put their paws on either side of your neck and press their head against your chin and sometimes make “I feel a bit lonely” sounds. The strong bond needs to develop though, naturally, although they do love everybody, in principle. It all depends on the chracter type you get though. One of my cats is more shy and more stand-offish than the other. You can perfectly see their character when they are still young kittens, and you will fall in love with the right one. However, you ought to take two, it’s better for them if they have a cat-companion to play and sleep with and lick all over. The bolder one likes to tease young children who who play a bit rough with him, by staying just so far away that they can’t touch him, whilst flicking his tail.
August 19, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
dja said,
The con “not a lap cat” is inconsistent with the Temperament section.. and perhaps the cat.