Tonkinese look and behaviour

Ranging from the delicate pinkish beige robe of the lilac point to the panther-like black robe of the natural sepia, the tonkinese offers colours for every wish, matches with any home decoration. Home, of course, as even if he doesn't bother a bask in the sun he remains a temperature sensible cat, he likes cosy comfy places and eider blankets, he is not shaped for open air life.

According to the few of litters my beauties offered us, now the cattery's pride and joy, I can offer some robe illustrations, from our two queens natural point and sepia, and our gorgeous lilac mink stud.

I've no picture of a lilac point or sepia kitten, nor one of a blue point or sepia, litters are small sized, thus not allowing genetic random to completely show up, anyway whatever colour be the wrap tonkineses remain the most lovable sweeties on earth.

History of the Tonkinese

In 1984 the Tonkinese were accepted for championship, approximately 20 years after the first efforts to develop a breed that was intermediate to the Burmese and the Siamese.

Those who scornfully state tonkinese are poor quality hybrids seem to ignore the Tonks were developed from a naturally occurring hybrid:

Wong Mau, a small walnut colored cat brought to California by Dr. Joseph Thompson in 1930, mother of the Burmese breed, was a Tonkinese (Graf-Webster 1991). In her day, breeders viewed tonkineses as a "poor quality Siamese”.

When Jane Barletta of Trenton, New Jersey switched from breeding Siamese to Tonkinese in the mid 1960's, the Siamese had not yet become the empirically slim, art deco composition of today. she launched a breeding program to produce a beautifully balanced cat--a Tonkinese.

At about the same time, Margaret Conroy in Canada bred her female Burmese to a Seal point Siamese. She owned a rather shy English Burmese female. Lacking an appropriate Burmese male, and at the suggestion of a CCA judge, she bred her cat, Khosoom, to a Seal point Siamese. The resultant kittens were described as having tan coats and turquoise eyes (Conroy 1986). The breed was dubbed, the Tonkanese. Her line reportedly bred true for five generations. In all her breedings, only one kitten was recessive to the Siamese.

By 1970 several west coast breeders were developing lines of "natural mink" Tonkinese and new colors were being introduced. Jane Barletta was producing blues by introducing Blue point Siamese into her breeding program. Margaret Conroy produced a line of blues by crossing a Blue Burmese with a Blue point Siamese and experimented with a Red point to a Sable Burmese. On the west coast, Mary Swanson (Chataigne Cattery) who acquired her first Tonkinese in 1967, attempted her first Seal point Siamese-Burmese breeding in that year. Early Chataigne pedigrees evidence Champagne Burmese, Chocolate point, Red point and Tortie point Siamese, in foundation breedings.

In February 1984, seventeen Tonkinese breeders from across the country approached the CFA board, requesting championship status. Finally the long sought goal had been attained. By the time the breed was accepted for championship, Tonkinese had appeared in more than 200 CFA shows and the TBA was sponsoring its fourth annual show. Registration had grown to more than 800 cats.

The stud books were closed at that time, and all future breedings would be Tonkinese to Tonkinese.

This is CFA statement, as in Europe hybridations are still allowed, for myself I don't allow any in my cattery.

extracted from the LOOF rules regarding tonkinese allowed outcross: mariages autorisés pour les tonkinois poil court et poil long: &