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A brief historical overview
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The Tonkinois is a cat that has been around for centuries, born of the marriage of two breeds that were once very close and often intermingled: the Siamois and the Burmese. In its country of origin, Thailand, it has been around for a long time, but without really having a name.
It seems that the original cat of today's Burmese and Tonkinois lines was called Wong Mau, that she was a Mink and that she arrived in the United States in 1930. Americans wishing to develop the burmese were then only interested in sepia babies.
But what was then known as the “golden Siamese” seemed to have inherited the qualities of its two parent breeds, without having taken on any of their faults: it was therefore of great interest to Canadians, who officially recognized it in 1965 under the name Tonkinois.
It was recognized in 1974 by the Canadian Cat Association (CCA), then in 1978 by the CFA.
The morphologies of the two original breeds diverged so widely that breeders had great difficulty stabilizing the breed's physique. This is why it was agreed to breed Tonkinois between themselves. However, as the mating of two Mink cats produces colorpoint and sepia babies as well as Mink babies, the standard now also accepts cats with the blue eyes of the Siamois pattern (colorpoint) or the amber eyes of the Burmese pattern (sepia). |
Behavior / characteristics
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The Tonkinois is a perfect compromise between the Siamois and the Burmese: more active and present than the Burmese, less exclusive and less talkative than the Siamois. Yet it knows how to make its wishes understood and is infinitely tender.
Very sociable, he gets on well with other cats, dogs and other animals, and loves to play with children. He's an active cat, very intelligent and cuddly, but with a great need to exercise: he's neither quiet nor shy, and retains the happy demeanor of a kitten for most of his life.
Very curious, he loves to mingle, explore, climb, play with everything that moves and actively participates in family life. Often greedy and inveterate spies, they are ingenious and determined to get what they want.
He's always alert, always present. He's an extrovert but friendly cat, and his eternal good humor makes him irresistibly endearing. |
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In France, first-generation crossbreeding (Siamois x Burmese) has not been authorized since 2009, and mating with a Siamois or Balinais cat has not been possible since January 1, 2011.
English (United Kingdom)