Common Misconceptions
|
Mymystic Maiway - Brown Tonkinese TCR, mink pattern (cbcs)
|
|
Remember -
when you breed two TCR patterned Tonks together they can produce all three coat-patterns, the optimum ratio is - 1 BCR : 2 TCR : 1 CPP |
Burmese colour-restriction (BCR) - aka Solid (cbcb)
|
Tonkinese colour restriction (TCR) - aka Mink (cbcs)
|
Tonkinese colour restriction (TCR) - aka Mink (cbcs)
|
Colourpointed pattern (CPP) - aka Pointed (cscs)
|
Misconceptions
1. Tonkinese are non-allergenic cats - this is wrong. There is no such thing as a non-allergenic cat, but some cats are less likely to produce
allergic reactions in people; the Tonkinese is such a breed. As its fur is soft and close-lying it requires less grooming than a more plush or longer-haired coat. This slightly reduces the amount of dander produced and, more significantly, with less grooming there is less saliva spread across the coat - it is the protein in the saliva that generally causes people to have an allergic reaction to cats.
2. The Tonkinese is just a hybrid of Burmese and Siamese. Although technically incorrect, the Cat Fancy accepts the word hybrid to mean a cross of two different cat breeds. In which case the Tonkinese may be described as a hybrid, but no more so than the - Angora, Asian, Bengal, Balinese, Bombay, Burmilla, Colour-Point BSH, Exotic, Javanese, LaPerm, Norwegian Forest, Occicat, Oriental SH, Ragdoll, Ragamuffin, Seychelloise, Snowshoe, Somali, Tibetane, Tiffanie and so on ... and the breeds that are not derived from a cross of two pedigree breeds were derived, at some point, from unknown non-pedigree crosses!
3. Some people say that the Tonkinese do not 'breed true' - this is wrong. It has come about because these people cannot (or will not) understand the meaning of the word unique - they try to fix the Tonkinese into the breeding patterns of other breeds, and so demonstrate their limited understanding of feline genetics. There is much more to a cat than just its coat-pattern. The Tonkinese breeds as consistently for type (head and body conformation), eye-colour, coat-type and character as any other breed & more so than some - it also breeds consistently for the three coat-patterns according to its genetic inheritance.
4. Some people think that the further down the generations you breed, the less BCR (solid) and CPP (pointed) coat-patterns you produce - this is genetically impossible. As you'll see on the section explaning the Tonkinese coat-patterns, the genes for the solid and pointed coat-patterns are perpetually co-dominant, the Tonkinese will always produce all three coat-patterns. There may be litters that have less solid or pointed coat-patterns than mink coat-patterns - but over a number of litters the average ratio of coat-patterns will fall true to 25% solid, 50% mink, 25% pointed. So if if a breeder is experiencing a notable lack of solid and/or pointed kittens then somewhere in their pedigrees there are cats with incorrectly registered coat-patterns.
5. Some people still use the expressions Burmese-variant for the solid coat-pattern, or Siamese-variant for the pointed coat-pattern - this is wrong. The Tonkinese has long been a breed in its own right - for over sixty years at least. Whichever of the three Tonkinese coat-patterns it wears it is not a variant of either the Burmese or the Siamese, it is a Tonkinese.
6. Some people still use the expression Tonkinese- variant for the solid and pointed coat-patterns - this is wrong. The cat may have one of the three variations of Tonkinese coat-pattern but, whichever coat-pattern it has, it is a Tonkinese, so it cannot also be a variant of a Tonkinese.
7. Bizarrely some people still write that when Tonkinese are mated together they produce Tonkinese, Burmese and Siamese - this is ridiculous! Tonkinese mated together can only produce Tonkinese kittens.
1. Tonkinese are non-allergenic cats - this is wrong. There is no such thing as a non-allergenic cat, but some cats are less likely to produce
allergic reactions in people; the Tonkinese is such a breed. As its fur is soft and close-lying it requires less grooming than a more plush or longer-haired coat. This slightly reduces the amount of dander produced and, more significantly, with less grooming there is less saliva spread across the coat - it is the protein in the saliva that generally causes people to have an allergic reaction to cats.
2. The Tonkinese is just a hybrid of Burmese and Siamese. Although technically incorrect, the Cat Fancy accepts the word hybrid to mean a cross of two different cat breeds. In which case the Tonkinese may be described as a hybrid, but no more so than the - Angora, Asian, Bengal, Balinese, Bombay, Burmilla, Colour-Point BSH, Exotic, Javanese, LaPerm, Norwegian Forest, Occicat, Oriental SH, Ragdoll, Ragamuffin, Seychelloise, Snowshoe, Somali, Tibetane, Tiffanie and so on ... and the breeds that are not derived from a cross of two pedigree breeds were derived, at some point, from unknown non-pedigree crosses!
3. Some people say that the Tonkinese do not 'breed true' - this is wrong. It has come about because these people cannot (or will not) understand the meaning of the word unique - they try to fix the Tonkinese into the breeding patterns of other breeds, and so demonstrate their limited understanding of feline genetics. There is much more to a cat than just its coat-pattern. The Tonkinese breeds as consistently for type (head and body conformation), eye-colour, coat-type and character as any other breed & more so than some - it also breeds consistently for the three coat-patterns according to its genetic inheritance.
4. Some people think that the further down the generations you breed, the less BCR (solid) and CPP (pointed) coat-patterns you produce - this is genetically impossible. As you'll see on the section explaning the Tonkinese coat-patterns, the genes for the solid and pointed coat-patterns are perpetually co-dominant, the Tonkinese will always produce all three coat-patterns. There may be litters that have less solid or pointed coat-patterns than mink coat-patterns - but over a number of litters the average ratio of coat-patterns will fall true to 25% solid, 50% mink, 25% pointed. So if if a breeder is experiencing a notable lack of solid and/or pointed kittens then somewhere in their pedigrees there are cats with incorrectly registered coat-patterns.
5. Some people still use the expressions Burmese-variant for the solid coat-pattern, or Siamese-variant for the pointed coat-pattern - this is wrong. The Tonkinese has long been a breed in its own right - for over sixty years at least. Whichever of the three Tonkinese coat-patterns it wears it is not a variant of either the Burmese or the Siamese, it is a Tonkinese.
6. Some people still use the expression Tonkinese- variant for the solid and pointed coat-patterns - this is wrong. The cat may have one of the three variations of Tonkinese coat-pattern but, whichever coat-pattern it has, it is a Tonkinese, so it cannot also be a variant of a Tonkinese.
7. Bizarrely some people still write that when Tonkinese are mated together they produce Tonkinese, Burmese and Siamese - this is ridiculous! Tonkinese mated together can only produce Tonkinese kittens.
Dispelling Some General Myths About Cats -
- Myth: Putting garlic in your cat's food will get rid of worms. Fact: Garlic can cause anemia in cats, so this is not a good ingredient to put in their food.
- Myth: Cats heal themselves by licking their wounds. Fact: Actually, cats continually licking their wounds is harmful and slows down the process of healing.
- Myth: Brushing a cat's teeth is pointless. Fact: Brushing your cat's teeth can help prevent oral disease. The toxins produced by oral bacteria are so destructive that sticky enzymes are produced in the mouth to protect the mucus tissues – this builds up as placque. Placque, which forces the gums from the teeth and leads to bacterial infection that gets into the blood stream and affects the body organs, notably the kidneys (and in people the heart, liver and brain are affected). Much of the problem in cats today is a result of their eating mushy foods and oily biscuits - why not try them with cubes of raw beef that they have to really chew on?
- Myth: When a cat purrs it means he's happy. Fact: Cats purr when they are happy but also when they are in pain. Purring is an expression of an emotion rather than an expression of happiness.
- Myth: Cats can have cow's milk. Fact: Cats are actually lactose intolerant and can get an upset stomach from drinking milk. It is unnatural for any mammal to continue to drink milk after weaning.
- Myth: Cats should eat fish. Fact: Fish is an unnatural diet for cats, it was introduced as a cat food during the war as a replacement for meat, which was particularly scarce. Cats can eat, and do enjoy, plain fish occasionally, but an excess of fish in their diet may result in painful Yellow Fat Disease (steatitis).