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Loeloeraai Tonkinese-Breeder of
South Africa's FIRST Pedigree Tonkinese
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  The
TONKINESE
THE COLOUR-COORDINATED CAT |
 The
TONKINESE BREED Contrary to general opinion, have been bred for
a number of years (over 30 in the USA). The Tonkinese is NOT
a hybrid and the idea that breeding Tonkinese results in Burmese and
Siamese progeny is quite wrong. The foundation dam of the Burmese
breed, Wong Mau, was herself a Tonkinese, and this type and colour
of cat is quite common in some Asian countries. In "Genetics of the
Burmese Cat Journal of Heredity 1933" by JC Thompson, VC Cobb, CE
Keeler and M Omytryk it is stated (Wong Mau's) body confirmation and
behavior were typical of native Malay cat stocks, best represented
 by
the Siamese variety". This, however, is not true, since Siamese are
relatively uncommon in such areas, and the native stocks are either
Blue, Brown, Tabby or Torti in appearance, although frequently they
have blue eyes, foreign shorthair confirmation, and certainly
Siamese type voices. This report was published in 1933 long before
the Korat was recognized, although these colours were certainly
present in the cat population. Thompson throughout his articles
refers to progeny of Wong Mau as Burmese and Siamese, although we
now know that in fact this progeny were the same as we now get in
Tonkinese breeding. At that time nothing was known of the specific
genetics of this progeny although Leila Volk of Honolulu reported
that what appeared to be a fifth allele was segregating out when she
used these cats with her Siamese. Many Tonkinese breeders believe
that this 'fifth' allele lies between c5 c4 and is an actual gene
for Tonkinese. |
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THE COLOUR CO-ORDINATED CAT!!! Often referred to as the colour-coordinated cat, Tonkinese colouring is unique. They are the only pointed cats having a body colour that is a lighter shade of the point colour and the only breed with true Aqua eyes. Tonkinese come in TEN recognized colours in South Africa, Brown Mink, Blue Mink, Chocolate Mink, Lilac Mink, Cinnamon Mink, Fawn Mink,Red Mink, Cream Mink, Caramel Mink and Apricot Mink! And all these colours in the Tabby and Tortoiseshell Mink.
Within each colour are three variations of expression:
Pointed, Mink and Solid, each showing varying degrees of body
and point colour contrast. The Mink-coloured cats carry one
pointed (Cs) and one solid (Cb) colour gene. The Pointed carry
two pointed (Cs) genes and the Solids carry two solid (Cb)
genes. The three varieties are often indistinguishable to all
but breeders. The cats all share the same body confirmation:
intermediate, neither cobby or svelte.
The Tonkinese gives the overall impression of an alert, active cat with good muscular development and surprising weight. It's head is a modified wedge-neither long and sharply wedge-shaped nor round and short, the modified wedge is slightly round with gently sloping planes. The Tonkinese coat is short, silky and close lying, requiring minimal grooming. |
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Tonkinese are generally healthy cats that are easy to care for. They require and demand love and companionship from those who surround them. They are a continual source of enjoyment and entertainment for their owners. With minimum care and maximum affection, a Tonkinese will remain a playful companion for many years! |
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The
3 colour expressions - Brown Mink -Brown Pointed - Brown Solid
