The Tonkin cat is a charming four-legged creature, which is the result of the crossing of the Burmese and Siamese breeds.
Incredible love of love, amazing devotion, affectionate disposition - character traits inherent in this pet with aquamarine eyes, which absorbed only the best from parent breeds.
History of breeding Tonkin breed
The first tonkinesis cats came to Europe at the end of the century before last. For some time, these "chocolate Siamese" were the stars of English exhibitions. The lack of specialized clubs involved in this breed and a certain standard led to a strict ban on their official participation in competitions. For a long period there was no information about the Tonkintsy, and in the 60s of the XX century the situation was changed by a resident of Canada - Margaret Conroy, who crossed a Siamese kitty of color seal -point with a Burmese. The result was the appearance of light brown kittens , proportionally elegantly thin, with rounded torso shape and a playfully soft character.
Why is it Tonkin?
It is known that descendants from the cross of these two breeds have existed for several centuries: they are mentioned in the ancient manuscript of Siam - “Poems about cats” (1350-1767).
The breed that was originally bred was called the "Golden Siamese cat." To avoid confusion, in 1971 they began to call it “Tonkin”, in honor of the Vietnamese area Tonkin, to which this breed of cats has nothing to do. At first, some skepticism was applied to tonkinesis, especially breeders of Siamese and Burmese cats. The expressive charisma of these charming, with refined manners creatures that quickly gained popularity around the world changed the opinion of doubting personalities.
Description of the Tonkin cat
Distinctive features of tonkinesis are aquamarine eyes and mink color. The Tonkin cat is characterized by a proportional physique: more slender than that of the Burmese, and denser than the Siamese. The chest is neatly rounded, of medium width. Tight belly. Developed muscles. The moderate head has a wedge-shaped, somewhat elongated shape. The ears are high set, at the base wide, medium size. In full face, the head and ears form an isosceles triangle. The almond-shaped eyes resemble a peach seed in shape. A slightly bulging nose. Slender, proportional to the length of the foot. The tail at the base is wide, tapering to the tip. The coat is medium-short, close-fitting to the body, thick, soft, silky, shiny. The average weight of cats is 4.5-5.5 kg, cats - 3-5 kg. Life expectancy is 10-16 years.
Tonkin cat colors
Color in tonkinesis is of three types:
- Solid. Approximate to the color of the Burmese, low contrast. Eye color is yellow-green.
- Point. Clearly contrasting, as close as possible to the color of the Siamese breed. Eye color is blue, sometimes with a touch of purple.
- Mink (or mink). Blurry contrast, most characteristic of tonkinesis. Eye color - aquamarine.
The colors of the Tonkin cats are accepted in the following options:
- Natural. The main background is medium brown with dark chocolate marks.
- Champagne Light beige with brown markings.
- Platinum. The background is grayish-pale. Marks are gray.
- Blue. The coat is bluish, gray-blue markings.
Still there are such colors as cinnamon, cream, red, faun. They are quite rare and are not recognized by many associations. With age, cats darken, and acquire the final color by 1.5 years of age.
Tonkin cat: character
Tonkinesis is characterized by a mild devotional character: the animal, as if attached, will everywhere follow the owner and, at the slightest opportunity, will try to climb into his arms or fall asleep in his bed. Such a creature easily gets used to walking on a leash and will always prefer a walk when it is alone at home. Tonkineses turn any movement into a game, as they are very cheerful and mobile. Moreover, this ability does not fade even in elderly cats.
The Tonkin cat, whose photo is posted in the article, will be the first to meet guests and get acquainted with children and animals. These are excellent pets, characterized by a strong will and good memory. They are not as loud as the Siamese, but they will also be able to attract the attention of the owner to their person. They are able to maintain a conversation, making in response the sounds of different intonations. They do not tolerate communication in elevated tones; they will always try to soften the conflict situation by their natural tact and tenderness.
Like most representatives of Asian breeds, the Tonkin cat likes to wear light objects (newspapers, gloves) in its teeth and will gladly serve them to its owner. It is easy to accustom a pet to tricks and tricks - you should only be patient.
The Tonkin cat breed is not vindictive and will never commit dirty tricks to the spite of the owner. If some of its action is met with a negative reaction, then the animal will not repeat it again.
Tonkin breed intelligence
The Tonkin cat, which is extremely positive about breeders, is a very intelligent animal with telepathic data (according to many researchers of this breed). Strongly developed intuition allows the animal to predict the actions of the owner with amazing accuracy. The energy field of tonkinesis is unusual and vast, so they often protect their masters from the adverse effects of the outside world.
By the way, in Canada and the USA, where this breed is one of the favorite and common, Tonkin cats are used in pet therapy. Contact with them helps a lot of young children and people with paralysis, autism, weighed down by social and psychological problems.
Care Features
Compared to other breeds, tonkinesis are leaders in the duration of personal hygiene: they carefully monitor their appearance and independently take care of neatness and grooming. Their short coat requires minimal care. Therefore, it is enough to comb out your pet once a week. For these manipulations, you should use a rubber brush with a concave surface that helps to remove dead hair. Bathing a kitty is recommended as necessary. Ears sometimes need to be wiped with a wet swab, but very carefully, without getting deep into the ear canal.
The Tonkin cat has good health, but is characterized by low immunity to diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Like the Siamese, tonkinesis is prone to gingivitis. Therefore, once a year they are recommended to be shown to a veterinarian.