Medium-sized, muscular cat combining Siamese and Burmese traits. Pointed pattern with aqua eyes in mink color.
Created in the 1960s by crossing Siamese with Burmese, though the combination occurred naturally before. Combines best traits of both breeds. Comes in three pattern types: solid, mink, and pointed.
Generally described as curious, intelligent, social, lively, outgoing, playful and affectionate.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
In Portugal and in Spain, this breed is not recognised.
FIFe lists this breed as not recognised: in its code table it appears as TOL non, TOS non.
We do not yet hold FIFe’s official reason for not recognising this breed. We would rather say so than invent one.
Here, recognised means recognised by FIFe, the federation CPF (Portugal) and ASFE (Spain) belong to as member clubs. We use FIFe’s list for both countries. Recognition depends on each country’s registry, so the same breed can have a different status elsewhere. It is a fact about the breed. It says nothing about the health of a particular cat, or about the breeder.
This breed is in TICA’s index, a North American registry. That does not make it recognised by FIFe.
Which registry the litter is entered in, and how the breed appears on the pedigree. FIFe writes “non” in the code of breeds it does not recognise.
Source: FIFe’s EMS breed table, edition 01.07.26, transcribed on 18 Sept 2026.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — PRA-rdAc test. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Tonkinese in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Tonkinese breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
1 condition documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
An inherited, untreatable form of blindness carried from the breed's Siamese ancestry. Affected kittens have normal vision at birth that degenerates from around seven months old, with most cats fully blind by three to five years. Evidence in the breed is thin: one carrier among 7 Tonkinese in a 2010 survey and none of 41 in a 2022 screen, so one carrier in 48 cats tested.
What to ask for
PRA-rdAc (CEP290) DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
An inherited, untreatable form of blindness carried from the breed's Siamese ancestry. Affected kittens have normal vision at birth that degenerates from around seven months old, with most cats fully blind by three to five years. Evidence in the breed is thin: one carrier among 7 Tonkinese in a 2010 survey and none of 41 in a 2022 screen, so one carrier in 48 cats tested.
What to ask for
PRA-rdAc (CEP290) DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
