| Could you give me a general idea of how your kittens are socialized? |
As soon as my kittens are born I pick them up. They are raised right under
foot once they are going in their litter box. I try to have just one litter
on the ground at one time so I can work with them. I don't have any children
so they won't have that experience but many of my customers have had children
or grandchildren and the Tonks love them. The Tonk thinks the child is their
toy and will follow them everywhere. I only have Tonkinese cats and no
other kind of animal in my home but many of my customers have had dogs
and even a ferret that the kitten has played with very well. They are a
very social animal. They are attracted to anything that is active. Your
kitten from me will be spoiled rotten before you get it. I raise every
kitten as though I'm keeping him or her for myself. I specialize in
personality in my kittens. |
| How is the health of the Tonkinese in general? Are there any health problems this breed is prone to? What is the average life span
of an indoor altered Tonkinese? |
Tonkinese don't have any inherent health problems. I know in some writings
on the Tonks they say they have dental problems. That came from the Siamese
having that problem so they just think the Tonk would have the same problem.
I have had one tooth pulled from one of my Tonks in 29 years. I don't brush
their teeth either. I do have dry food down for them that takes care of the
tartar build up on their teeth. The average life span is about 16 years.
My Vet said you only see Adult Tonks when they come in for their yearly
shots and check up |
| Is there any noticeable differences in the temperament or looks between
the male and female Tonkinese? |
The female Tonk even after they are spayed will try for top cat but the male after
they are neutered doesn't care who is top cat. The male and female are
both very loving. The male is about four pounds heavier than the female
and has a wider chest and head. |
| What is the average weight of a fully grown altered male/female? |
The average weight for a male is between 10 to 12 pounds and the average
female is around 7 to 8 pounds. They weigh heavier than they look because of
their muscle tone. |
| What is the feeding regimen like for a kitten and how does it change for an adult? |
I feed my kittens Iams dry food mostly. Twice a day I mix a little wet
canned cat food into the kitten Iams in the morning and at night. I keep
the dry Iams down all day. The kitten will eat a little a lot of times a day.
After a year old I put them on the adult Iams. There is a senior Iams if your
cat starts to get too fat. |
| is there any reason to believe that a properly treated Tonkinese would ever
become aggressive and either bite or scratch a person? |
Tonkinese are not aggressive in nature. The only problem sometimes is
when they don't have another cat/dog to play with, they will play with you
the way they would play with another cat but they forget you don't have any
fur so when they play bite it might hurt a little. Sometimes they will jump
out at you and grab your leg. All of this is normal play for any cat or
kitten to do with another cat so when there isn't another animal around
they will play cat with you. To stop this altogether get another cat/dog. |
| I have heard that Tonkinese are good with children. Is this true? |
Yes, they love children because the children are always doing something and the Tonk likes to be in the middle of everything that is going on.
The Tonkinese thinks the children are their play toys and follows them
everywhere. |
| I have read that declawing is a cruel and painful procedure for cats. Can they be
easily trained to scratch only on appropriate surfaces? |
Tonks can be easily trained to do just about anything. They are so intelligent. I raise my kittens on cat trees from the very first time they are out of their nest. A small one is waiting for them right away. I have large cat trees in every room in my house so they are used to scratching on them. If you are still afraid they might scratch, you can buy Nail Caps. You can order them through Smart Practice at 1-800-433-7297 or visit their web page at www. Softpaws.org. Yes, declawing is very painful for the cat. If you start clipping their claws right away once a week they will be all right.
I try to do this with the kittens so they will be used to the clipping. |
| What is the grooming routine for a Tonk and what supplies are needed?
Do you recommend bathing. |
Tonks need very little grooming. They love to be brushed so you can do the brushing on your own time, but it's not necessary.
Baths are not necessary either unless they get into something. |
| Where do Tonkinese prefer to sleep during the night? |
If you put a kitten in your bedroom at night they will not sleep in
anything but your bed. This is not a good idea until they get older because
kittens are lazy at heart and don't want to get out of the warm bed and go
to the cat litter box so they will sometimes wet in the bed. A nice room of
their own with all their toys and a radio going on a talky station when you
are not there is good. A cat tree with places to sleep is a nice sleeping
arrangement. |
| Will airlines allow cats in carriers to come
on board with their owner? How do Tonks tolerate travel? |
It is hard to say if the kitten you get will be all right to travel. A lot of my customers have been on planes with their kitten. Most of them had no trouble at all. Only one person told me she had a hard time, but it wasn't one of my kittens. Not all airlines will let you take the kitten aboard with you. Alaskan airlines will let you carry on board an animal with you. You will have to get a health certificate from a vet before they will let you aboard with the kitten.
Cats over 4 months must have a rabies shot too. |
| What is the comparison between the Burmese, Siamese and Tonkinese cats? |
The Burmese is a very loving cat and the Siamese is the intelligent one and also the clown. The Tonkinese is all of these put together. Best of both of the breeds in one. The Burmese of today does have health problem like kidney and dental problems, etc. just like the Siamese of today. When you breed to extremes you get health problems. Also after so many years of breeding the gene pool gets small and that brings in the health problems. When we started breeding the two breeds together it was before the two foundation breeds got their health problems. In 1984, we stopped breeding back to the foundation
breed so the Tonk didn't get or have now their health problems. |
| What makes Tonkinese special as companions? |
They are great supervisors. They are always there on your shoulders
or in your lap to make sure you are doing the dishes, brushing your
teeth or hitting the keys on the computer all in the right way. |
| How active are they? |
They do bounce off the walls but in a ballet style. Their antics will keep you
Laughing for years to come. |
| Do they talk a lot? |
Yes, they do talk but with quieter voices than the Siamese. They have different tones for different things
they are trying to tell you. You will soon learn the language of the Tonk. |
| What are their favorite toys? |
Their people, mostly little children. They think the child is their toy. They love interactive toys like the toy that has a ball or mouse inside they try to get out. They will find a toy that they can carry around in their mouths like a wad of paper, a ball,
or a fur mouse and have you throw it for them until your arm falls off. |
| How difficult is it for the average cat lover to get a Tonk? |
In most cities there are Tonk breeders. You may have to get on a list for the next litters to be born because they are in high demand and most Tonk breeders have only a few litters a year. Many Tonkinese breeders have web pages so you will have no trouble finding a Breeder. Also you can find Tonkinese
breeders in many cat magazines in their breeders' directory. |
| What advice would you give a first time Tonkinese buyer? |
Be aware how the Breeder treats you. If you get a bad feeling about the Breeder then there may be something in the personalities of their cat that you may not like. How they treat people is the way they treat their animals. Do they answer your questions and take time to explain to you all the things that will make the
beginning life with your new kitten a happy experience for both of you. |
| What do you think it's important for the average cat lover
to know about the Tonk? |
They should know that being a Siamese/ Burmese Hybrid they are Extremely
affectionate and have superior intelligence. Their short,soft fur feels like
a mink coat. They should know that the Tonkinese don't do well if they are
left alone all day without a person or another animal, cat/dog, to interact
with throughout the day. They are very social animals so they get along with
many different animals, even a ferret. |
