Tonkinese: Magical Color Changing Cats

As you may know, Tonkinese are half Siamese and half Burmese.  The Tonkinese pull out the best and most amazing parts of each of the breed.

A glimpse into the how and why their coats change with the weather (note that it changes gradually).

Did you know that Siamese cats’ signature markings are the result of a temperature-sensitive enzyme? This is also why Siamese kittens are born without point markings!

The Siamese color points, aka the darker regions of fur at the tips of the ears, nose, legs and tail, are due to the pigment-producing enzyme called tyrosinase.  Tyrosinase is produced at cooler temperatures. Therefore, the cooler regions of the cat’s body, the extremities (such as the tail, paws, ears, and face), are darker in color. The rest of the cat’s body is lighter in color due to the warmer temperatures blocking tyrosinase production.

The lucky Tonkinese inherited this enzyme from their Siamese ancestors and if they have a slightly, or very much, darker body color of Burmese, they appear to magically darken in warm weather and then lighten in cooler weather.

The point color on the kittens can develop as early as a few days after birth and starts with some shading on the very tips of the ears and nose.

When kittens are inside the womb, their entire body is kept warm, blocking the tyrosinase and pigment production. After the kittens are born and the extremities are exposed to cooler temperatures, the darker points develop giving the kittens the characteristic Siamese look.

The photos were taken of the same litter, approximately one month apart.  The first photo shows a darker coated kitten but none of them show point coloration.  The later photo show nose and ear darkening.  The tail and feet will begin to darken in the following weeks.

Dewey

Babe, born June 17, 2024, was adopted on February 15, 2025 by an east coast family and renamed Dewey. Dewey is a gentle soul and I passed over a couple families waiting for just the right  I expect to see great things from his very creative mum that feature Dewey.  You are missed, sweet boy, but I know you are in good hands.

I love what I am

... and I proudly wear the name.

>^-.-^<

Random photos:

 A quiet moment

On my shoulder

Sorting out body parts:  what belongs to who?

Oh, sweet baby!

One of those Hallmark stories... Kiri

Love in Tucson

A bit more than a year ago, I was contacted by a woman wanting to adopt a kitten.  Sadly, they were devastated by the loss of their Tonk and she thought they were ready to welcome another baby.  And, she wanted to surprise her husband with the kitten for his birthday.

She was vetted, quickly providing what I requested, and easily approved for adoption.  

After carefully considering both the adoptive family and the individual personalities of my kittens, I offered Paris, one of the Destinations litter*, as a kitten that I thought would mesh well with the family's needs, the other animals, and the desires expressed in the application to adopt.

Love in Paris

She was very excited and indicated how apropos, perhaps it was an amazing coincidence, or maybe it was just meant to be because Paris was where her husband proposed to her.  

She also said that she would like me to hold off on announcing that Paris was reserved.

She confirmed that while the husband knew she was looking for a kitten, he was not aware of the results of the search.  He was away and she would wait for his return to share that his birthday gift would be just a bit late...  and what it was.

Expecting Love

When she contacted me to let me know that she had shared with her husband their good news and how she did it, I was soo touched:

  

She used an "ultrasound" of a cat to share with her husband that they were expecting an addition to the family... and Happy Birthday too!

I immediately knew I had picked another exceptional family for one of my kittens.   

Paris became Kiri.

And when they decided to follow my bonding routine and kept in contact with me during the bonding period, I was beyond thrilled.  I could tell from mom's communications and photos of Kiri that the bonding went very well.  Kiri settled in quickly, attaching to mom and dad.

I did hear, though, that Kiri created quite the stir in the household upon her arrival.  Each time her parents called her by name, Siri would respond.  Kiri's first days were filled with lots of love... and tons of laughter.  

Loving my naps

Loving my daddy

   

Both parents remain completely smitten with Kiri.  To this day, I continue to hear about what Kiri is up to, how much they love their girl, how happy they are with her, and how they enjoy her antics.  

Loving the attention

Loving my sisters

   

When asked, Mom says Kiri is a little crazy and a lot of cute and that she reaches up with her nose when she wants a little kiss.  Here are a few of mom's brags about Kiri:

- She loves playing with water in the sink.

- She tucks herself in under the covers at night.

- She loves showing her belly.

- She never plays with her claws out.

- She comes running when called.

Mom also shared that Kiri is the most gentle kitten she has ever been around and is a true source of happiness.  Kiri brings them endless joy and <they feel> so lucky to have her.   

I must say that it does my heart good to hear this.

 

Just LOVE

The celebration of Kiri's 1 year anniversary with the family was no less impressive than the first year of her life.

Live long, lovely (Paris) Kiri.

>^-.-^<

I can't tell you how much hearing about my babies means to me.  I love knowing that they are happy and living a wonderful cat's life.  In fact, its what makes letting them go just a bit more tolerable.

Note that the story and photos have been shared with permission from the family.

Kiri then and now.

                                                                         >^-.-^<

* The Destinations litter included Paris, Zion, Maui, London, Bali, and Lucia

                                                                         >^-.-^<

Do you have a story about your TucsonTonk that I could share?  I would LOVE to hear about it.  Let me know via email and we will chat!

Once a Babe... now a Prince: Dewey

I am very happy to announce that my beautiful shadow, Babe, has been reserved.  

 

Babe will be known as Prince Dewdrop and fondly called Dewey by all that love him... so I am guessing pretty much everyone! Dewey will join his family in mid-February and has already began the requested additional training.

We are grabbing all the love and cuddles we can in these next couple weeks.  Babe, aka Dewey, is an integral part of our household, playing with the pumpkin litter of kittens and "helping" me with household chores. His companionship will be sorely missed but his new family has promised to get me entertained with updates, photos, and videos of his adventures.

 

Help; I sat down and can't get up!

This particular litter of five was named for varieties of pumpkins, which I lovingly refer to them en masse. 

Three of them, Casper, Cinderella, and Baby Boo, have me trapped in the recliner.  This means the groceries are not getting put away.  

Ahh, its a tough job but someone must do it...  and I love doing it.  

Note the other two pumpkins, Peanut and Jack, were neutered and are currently sequestered for enforced rest and recovery.

Percy is a fan of the 80's big hair bands

 This sweet boy has the perfect eyeliner...  

But I'm not sleepy...

I just happened to catch this on video.  It seems like I NEVER catch the good stuff so I am pretty proud of myself.  

Autumn, and brother Casper, in action:

This was the scene just a moment later....

Yes, lovely Autumn, you ARE tired.   And Casper decided to join you in a little kitten-nap.