Tonkinese

Tonkinese are a distinct breed developed from a Burmese x Siamese cross. They are more elegant in build than Burmese but nowhere near as extreme as modern Siamese. This moderate elegance appeals to many who liked the Siamese of the 1960s and 1970s, and some of the kittens also have the striking coat colour contrast and blue eyes of the Siamese. The temperament is typically closer to the Burmese than the Siamese side of the ancestry - they tend not to talk constantly as many Siamese do. Tonkinese still have a very small gene pool in this country so can still be out-crossed to Burmese and Siamese. The (Gen.) annotation after each cat's name records the number of generations since the last such out-cross.

They come in many coat colours, and in three degrees of contrast between the body colour and points colour:

• Sepia - similar to their Burmese ancestors in colour, but usually with greener eyes, sepia Tonkinese have the body colour only slightly lighter than the points.
• Mink - this is the colour contrast seen in the first cross of Siamese x Burmese - the body is coloured, but distinctly paler than the points, and the eyes are ideally blue-green to light blue.
• Pointed - the strongly contrasting points and pale body seen in the Siamese can also be found in pointed Tonkinese. They have bright blue to deep blue eyes.

Please consult the NZCF Tonkinese Standard of Points document (pdf file) for more information on the Tonkinese breed standard.

Our Current Tonkinese Breeding Cats

Stud:
Champion Rafoej Likely Lad (Likely).
Likely is the very handsome chocolate point son of Jasmine and Billy. He has very deep blue eyes, a warm pale cream coat with deep chocolate points, and a lovely affectionate nature.

Stud:
Mitsuesmemory Sir Didymo.
Rocky is a handsome blue mink great grandson of Kaos. He carries the cinnamon gene. He came to me when his breeder Donna decided to take a break from breeding.

Queen:
Ch. Rafoej Lacie.
Lace is a very pretty chocolate ticked tabby point, with light blue eyes and absolutely no barring - a very subtle colour. She is from the same litter as Likely. She is a real sweetie.

Queen:
Ch. Rafoej Meringue.
Meringue is a chocolate mink, who carries the cinnamon and classic pattern genes. She is a daughter of Xmas and Mitsuesmemory Chocolate Rocket (Gen. 2), who is also the father of Rocky.

Queen:
Ch. Rafoej Quantum Leap.
Quant is a seal mink classic tabby. Her mother was "Blossom", a daughter of Yindi and a seal Burmese, and her father was Gabriel, a son of Xmas and Billy. Her pattern could do with more clarity, but it's a good start!