When walking through a show hall many people say "Oh, a Siamese! That looks just like my cat looked when I was a child." Many people believe the Tonkinese does look much like the traditional Siamese, however, the Tonkinese is a man-made breed, and is now considered an established breed as they have been breeding true to the Tonkinese standard for a number of years.

Between 1950 and 1970, the breed was developed by cross breeding the Siamese and Burmese. Tonkinese are bred exclusively Tonkinese to Tonkinese giving us the breed we know and love today.

The Canadian Cat Association (CCA) was the first to accept the Tonkinese breed into its association. In 1984 the Tonkinese breed was accepted universally into championship by the Cat Fanciers” Association (CFA).

Owners of Tonkinese believe that their cats are the best of both worlds. The Tonkinese have the intelligence and curiosity of the Siamese and the personality and voice of the Burmese. If you want a kitten simply to admire, don't take home a Tonkinese. The Tonkinese will expect you to interact with it. They want to be involved in all activities that go on in your household from answering the door and telephone to reading your paper and working on the computer. For a person who wants a dog but can't own one, take home a Tonkinese. They learn to fetch, walk on a leash, and make excellent car cats. If you don't want them to learn something, PLEASE -- don't teach it to them or let them observe you doing it. The paws that can act like hands on occasion will get into things and places you would prefer they didn't. Because they are very social, but not high strung, they like not only adults, but children, dogs and other cats. They enjoy riding on your shoulder and can be quite a surprise to an unsuspecting guest. A Tonkinese is a fun loving kitty to have around. If you have one, you may end up wanting two or more.

The Tonkinese has a medium length close lying soft silky coat with a lustrous sheen that comes in four colors: Natural, Champagne, Platinum and Blue. Within each of these colors there are three variations, pointed, solid and mink. The pointed looks very much like the Siamese in that its points are more dramatic and defined. The solid resembles the Burmese in that its points are less defined and blend in with the body coat. The mink, unique to the Tonkinese breed, is the happy medium among the colorings of the Siamese and the Burmese.

The mink coat pattern of the Tonkinese has beautiful aqua eyes. The pointed coat pattern will always have light to deep blue eyes and the solid coat pattern eye color can range from a green to a green/gold color.

No matter which color you choose, or whether a male or female is your choice, your Tonkinese will still be the same fun loving active companion you will enjoy having around for many years to come.