Description
This article is from the Tonkinese Breed
FAQ, by Linda Martino linda@rhythm.com.
01 Tonkinese Cats: Physical Description
Body
The ideal Tonkinese is intermediate in type, being neither cobby nor
svelte. It should give the impression of an alert, active cat with
good muscular development. The cat should be surprisingly heavy. While
the breed is to be considered medium in size, balance and proportion
are of greater importance. Females usually run 6-8 pounds and males
8-12. They are very muscular so appear lighter than they are.
Head
The head is a modified wedge, the muzzle is blunt with a slight
whisker break.
Eyes
Tonkinese are the only pedigree cats with aqua eyes. Eye color varies
from blue to green/gold. The eyes are an open almond shape.
Coat
The coat itself is short and lies very close to the body. It is very
silky and has a wonderful feel.
Coat pattern refers to the color of the coat in relationship to the
color of the points (extremities). Both Siamese and Burmese are called
pointed cats because their points are a different color than their
body. In Siamese there is a lot of contrast between coat and points.
In the Burmese this difference can be so small as to not be noticeable
and most people do not consider them a pointed cat. It is most
noticable in the dilute colors and as kittens, whereas the adult Sable
color appears to be solid.
Tonkinese have three coat patterns: pointed, mink, and solid. The
three kittens in the illustration have the same color _Natural_ (look
at the ears), but each have a different coat pattern. From left to
right they are: natural point, natural mink, and natural solid.
Natural is a color name described in the next section.
* _Pointed_ - a Siamese coat pattern - It has a strong contrast
between the points and body.
* _Mink_ - unique to the Tonkinese - It is a medium contrast between
the Siamese and Burmese. The contrast between body and legs is
less abrupt than with Siamese.
* _Solid_ - a Burmese coat pattern - This is not a true solid cat
but one of weak contrast.
Only the Mink can be shown as it is the most different from the two
parent breeds, but all three coat patterns are registered cats.
Because of genetics, all three coat patterns will continue to exist
and cannot be eliminated from the breed.
Colors
Tonkinese, Siamese, and Burmese share the same four colors although
they call them different names. The colors refer to the point color
(face, ears, legs, and tail). The difference between the three breeds
is the color of their bodies not the color of their points.
The Platinum is the same color as a Siamese Lilac. It has a body of
pale, silvery grey with warm overtones with blue-grey noses & pads and
frosty grey points.
The Blue has the same color name in a three breeds. It has a body of
soft grey-blue with warm overtones with blue-grey noses & pads and
blue-grey points.
The Natural is the same color as a Siamese Seal and a Burmese Sable.
It has a body of medium brown with dark brown noses & pads and dark
brown points.
The Champagne is the same color as a Siamese Chocolate. It has a body
of buff-cream with cinnamon-brown noses & pads and medium brown
points.
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