Tonkinese cats are the result of a recent crossbreeding between the Siamese and Burmese cat breeds.

 

Lilac mink Tonkinese

The Tonkinese has a winsome personality, not surprising since the Burmese and Siamese are prized for their temperaments. Faithful followers say the Tonkinese has the best of both breeds. Its voice is milder in tone than the Siamese.  The Tonkinese craves, and returns, affection and companionship. It has an unflagging enthusiasm for life and life's pleasures, and loves interactive toys such as human fingers and the tails of its cat companions.

Tonkinese are commonly trim and muscular cats. They are typically heavier than they appear to be, due to their very muscular bodies. They have a distinctive oval-shaped paw, and a modified wedge-shaped head, with large ears set towards the outside of their head. They are unusually intelligent, curious, affectionate with people, and interested in them. Tonkinese cats are playful cats, but not hyperactive, although they can be mischievous if they become lonesome or bored. Some interesting toys and a cat tree, or, better yet, another Asian cat such as a Tonkinese, Oriental, Burmese, Siamese, or Snowshoe can keep them busy when they're lonely. Unlike most breeds of cat, they are reported to sometimes engage in fetching, and they can often be found perched on the highest object in the house as they love jumping heights.

Tonkinese cats weigh 10-20 lbs or even more

 

Starting top going counter-clockwise: Blue Point, lilac Mink chocolate Mink.

They are more like Burmese in temperament than Siamese, that is, less high-strung and demanding. Their voices are also less piercing (or raucous, depending on taste) in most cases than the Siamese, but most Tonkinese do like a good chat. Most observers feel they combine the more attractive features of both ancestor breeds.

Tonkinese come in four colors and exhibit a wide variety of patterns. The three main patterns are mink, solid and pointed. Solid is essentially a Burmese coat pattern; pointed a Siamese pattern. Mink is a unique Tonkinese pattern, with shaded "points" like the Siamese, with the body coloured in a shade harmonising with the point colour. Mink is intermediate between Burmese and Siamese, with less abrupt contrast between body and legs than Siamese . The mink variety is considered most desirable for the show ring in cat fancier associations. The most commonly accepted colors are: platinum, champagne, blue, and natural, although European associations also accept red, cream, caramel, apricot and tortoiseshell. Typically, solid Tonkinese cats have gold or blue- green eyes, cats with the pointed pattern are blue-eyed, and the mink cats have a shade of aquamarine. A great deal of subtle variation exists in colors and patterns, and Tonkinese body color darkens with age to some degree in all patterns. Cats kept in colder climates will typically be darker in their mink or point shading, like their Siamese cousins.

Lilac Mink Tonkinese with signature aqua eyes.