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CFA Breed Standard Tonkinese
Updated: June 01 2000

Tonkinese

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POINT SCORE

HEAD (25)
Profile ............. 8
Muzzle and chin ..... 6
Ears ............... 6
Eye shape and set ... 5

BODY (30)
Torso ............... 15
Legs and feet ....... 5
Tail ................ 5
Muscle tone ......... 5

COAT ..................... 10

COLOR (35)
Body color .......... 15
Point color ......... 10
Eye color ........... 10

GENERAL: the ideal Tonkinese is intermediate in type, neither cobby nor svelte. The Tonkinese should give the overall impression of an alert, active cat with good muscular development. The cat should be surprisingly heavy. While the breed is considered medium in size, balance and proportion are of greater importance.

HEAD AND MUZZLE: the head is a modified slightly rounded wedge somewhat longer than it is wide, with high gently planed cheekbones. The muzzle is blunt, as long as it is wide. There is a slight whisker break, gently curved, following the lines of the wedge. There is a slight stop at eye level. In profile the tip of the chin lines with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane. There is a gentle rise from the tip of the nose to the stop. There is a gentle contour with a slight rise from the nose stop to the forehead. There is a slight convex curve to the forehead.

EARS: alert, medium in size. Oval tips, broad at the base. Ears set as much on the sides of the head as on the top. Hair on the ears very short and close-lying. Leather may show through.

EYES: open almond shape. Slanted along the cheekbones toward the outer edge of the ear. Eyes are proportionate in size to the face.

EYE COLOR: aqua. A definitive characteristic of the Tonkinese breed, best seen in natural light. Depth, clarity, and brilliance of color preferred.

BODY: torso medium in length, demonstrating well-developed muscular strength without coarseness. The Tonkinese conformation strikes a midpoint between the extremes of long, svelte body types and cobby, compact body types. Balance and proportion are more important than size alone. The abdomen should be taut, well-muscled, and firm.

LEGS and FEET: fairly slim, proportionate in length and bone to the body. Hind legs slightly longer than front. Paws more oval than round. Trim. Toes: five in front and four behind.

TAIL: proportionate in length to body. Tapering.

COAT: medium short in length, close-lying, fine, soft and silky, with a lustrous sheen.

BODY COLOR: the mature specimen should be a rich, even, unmarked color, shading almost imperceptibly to a slightly lighter hue on the underparts. Allowance to be made for lighter body color in young cats. With the dilute colors in particular, development of full body color may take up to 16 months. Cats do darken with age, but there must be a distinct contrast between body color and points.

POINT COLOR: mask, ears, feet, and tail all densely marked, but merging gently into body color. Except in kittens, mask and ears should be connected by tracings.

PENALIZE: extreme ranginess or cobbiness. Definite nose break. Round eyes.

DISQUALIFY: yellow eyes. White locket or button. Crossed eyes. Tail faults.

TONKINESE COLORS

NATURAL MINK: Body: medium brown. Ruddy highlights acceptable. Points: dark brown. Nose leather: dark brown (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: medium to dark brown (may have a rosy undertone).

CHAMPAGNE MINK: Body: buff-cream to beige. Reddish highlights acceptable. Points: medium brown. Nose leather: cinnamon-brown (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: cinnamon-pink to cinnamon-brown.

BLUE MINK: Body: soft, blue-gray with warm overtones. Points: slate blue, distinctly darker than the body color. Nose leather: blue-gray (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: blue-gray (may have a rosy undertone).

PLATINUM MINK: Body: pale, silvery gray with warm overtones. Not white or cream. Points: frosty gray, distinctly darker than the body color. Nose leather: lavender-pink to lavender-gray. Paw pads: lavender-pink.

AOV COLOR STANDARDS

General description - Solid Colors (AOV): body color in solid AOVs may be a slightly lighter shade of the point color, with very little contrast with points. There will be more contrast between points and body color for the Champagne and Platinum solid than for the Natural and Blue solids. Eye color: green to yellow/green.

Natural (AOV) Body: sable brown. Points: dark brown. Nose leather: dark brown (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: medium to dark brown (may have a rosy undertone).

Champagne (AOV): Body: golden tan to light coffeebrown. Points: medium brown. Nose leather: cinnamon brown (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: cinnamon-pink to cinnamon-brown.

Blue (AOV): Body: slate blue with warm overtones. Points: slate blue. Nose leather: blue-gray (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: blue-gray (may have a rosy undertone).

Platinum (AOV): Body: dove gray. Points: frosty gray. Nose leather: lavender-pink to lavender-gray. Paw pads: lavender-pink.

General description - Pointed Colors (AOV): Body color in pointed AOVs should be off-white, any shading relative to the point color; overall body color should be in marked contrast to the points. Eye color: blue.

Natural Point (AOV): Body: fawn to cream. Points: dark brown. Nose leather: dark brown (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: medium to dark brown (may have a rosy undertone).

Champagne Point (AOV): Body: ivory with buff-tan shading. Points: medium brown. Nose leather: cinnamon-brown (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: cinnamon-pink to cinnamon-brown.

Blue Point (AOV): Body: off-white with warm gray shading. Points: slate blue. Nose leather: blue-gray (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: blue-gray (may have a rosy undertone).

Platinum Point (AOV): Body: pearly white. Points: frosty-gray. Nose leather: lavender-pink to lavender-gray (corresponding to the intensity of the point color). Paw pads: lavender-pink.

The following information is for reference purposes only, and not an official part of the CFA Show Standard.

TONKINESE COLOR CLASS NUMBERS

Blue Mink ..................... 2600 2601
Champagne Mink ................ 2602 2603
Natural Mink .................. 2606 2607
Platinum Mink ................. 2608 2609
AOV ........................... 2698 2699

* Tonkinese allowable outcross breeds: none.