Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all! I own a one year old Tonkinese named Louis and I'm interested in connecting with other Tonk fans. I can't believe how much I love this breed - I really was never a cat person before I found out about Tonks. Anyway, glad to find an active forum of tonkinese owners. Looking forward to reading and contributing.
My Tonk Blog

Welcome to the Tonk board!

I think you will find that all of us who post here share your belief that Tonks are the most amazing little creatures on the face of the earth.

Carol, Emily, & Eddie

PS: I looked at your blog site and was pleased to see that you have posted Cora's YouTube video (Cora Learns Treadmill). Cora owns a friend of mine and her husband. After my friend met Emily and Eddie she decided they needed to get a Tonk. They've had Cora for about 5 months now and are about to bring home a little brother for her.

>>Hi all! I own a one year old Tonkinese named Louis and I'm interested in connecting with other Tonk fans. I can't believe how much I love this breed - I really was never a cat person before I found out about Tonks. Anyway, glad to find an active forum of tonkinese owners. Looking forward to reading and contributing.
>>My Tonk Blog

Thank you for the welcome. Cora is adorable! I've seen so many cute Tonk videos on Youtube and elsewhere, I thought it would be cool to have them on one blog. If anyone has a link to a tonk related resource I should post or wants to contribute in any way, just let me know.

Here is a pic of my tonk on his new cat wheel - he loves it!

http://www.tonk.tv/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/img_0084.jpg

Anyone else have a cat wheel?

TonkBlog

Glad to have you aboard. Liat owns me and I am getting ready to add another Tonk to the aggregation. I got a kick out of Cora, too.

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Terry, confused human companion of Liat.

Thanks for the welcome. Liat is a handsome guy! Are you planning on getting a male or female kitten? I'm curious because I eventually want to get another tonk and I'm wondering if my boy would be happier with a brother or a sister..
TonkBlog

Welcome to the board! I have a tonk about the same age as yours... Sina will be two in November.

Sina looks adorable! Thanks for the welcome
TonkBlog

Hello and welcome...

I am the resident masochist currently with 3 maniacs...all boys...all sorts of trouble

Louis is absolutely beautiful...and that cat wheel is awesome!!!

Here are my three...Alastair (3yrs), Bentley (5yrs), Finster (3 yrs)...

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Lisa, owned by Bentley,Alastair, Finster, & Trysta (greyhound)

Those guys are handsome! Three tonks must have so much fun playing together. Do you notice any differences in behavior between the platinum and the champagne coated tonks? I ask simply because my friend has a female champagne tonk and she in many ways is different than my platinum tonk. I know there are differences between every cat, but from what I've seen in the videos, the platininum tonks all seem to behave very similarly to my guy. Anyway - thanks for the welcome to the forum - it's a great site.
TonkTV

I'm of the oppinion that gender would make more of a difference than coat color...Carol would know best...

All of my boys are stereotypical tonks (social, vocal, purry purry piles of fur) with very different personalities...but I contribute that to...age, pecking order, and breeding line...and the fact that they are individuals.

Bentley is a champage point...his personality is very very much like his father's (Jazz, whom my parents own) who is a champagne mink...but they also have Bentley's brother Duente, who is Jazz's son and also a champage mink...both Jazz and Bentley are the Alpha cats in their respective homes...and behave as such...Duente behaves more like my Finster who is a Natural Mink...both whom are second in line...Alastair my Blue Mink is lowest on the totem pole is always rolling over and showing his belly (very submissive posture)to the other two cats, and humans and will tolerate being rubbed there...Fin will also show his belly to any human and let it be touched...which is also something Duente does...but Bentley and Jazz will generally only show their belly to their Alpha humans but do not necessarily want it touched...

Both Bentley and Jazz will lay in a pile with their other cat(s), but prefer to sleep alone or on their humans...Duente, Finster and Alastair prefer to lay in a pile with their other cat(s) but will not pass up a good human...
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Lisa, owned by Bentley,Alastair, Finster, & Trysta (greyhound)

Gender vs. coat color … I'd say that both are probably factors in determining personality. Emily is a champaign point, thus closer to the Siamese end of the breed. And her personality reflects that. She's much higher strung than Eddie. She's also much more outgoing. She thinks that everyone who sets foot inside the front door is here to see her, and she generally makes her presence known pretty darn fast. Eddie is a platinum mink, right in the middle between the Siamese and the Burmese, and he's much more laid back. He's also a little less vocal and very much less outgoing. Unlike Emily, he doesn't usually interject himself into conversations with visitors and typically stays out of sight.

However, when it comes to interactions between the two cats, Eddie is the dominant one. For example, I have a constant struggle making them both understand that both of them are welcome to sleep on the bed at night. Somewhere along the line Eddie decided that the bedroom was his domain, and he convinced Emily that was the case, too. All he has to do is look at her if she dares venture past the door and she'll leave. If she gets there first, she'll try to leave the minute Eddie arrives. Same thing if I'm in the den watching TV in the evening. Eddie seems to have claimed that room as his private domain, too. They're fine during the day, and fine anywhere else in the house--except that Eddie thinks all the food is his, and that he can decide how much Emily can have.

So, based on my experience, I'd say that personality is affected by coat, and cat-to-cat interaction is probably based on gender.

Totally unscientific, of course...

Carol, Emily, & Eddie

>>I'm of the oppinion that gender would make more of a difference than coat color...Carol would know best...
>>
>>All of my boys are stereotypical tonks (social, vocal, purry purry piles of fur) with very different personalities...but I contribute that to...age, pecking order, and breeding line...and the fact that they are individuals.
>>
>>Bentley is a champage point...his personality is very very much like his father's (Jazz, whom my parents own) who is a champagne mink...but they also have Bentley's brother Duente, who is Jazz's son and also a champage mink...both Jazz and Bentley are the Alpha cats in their respective homes...and behave as such...Duente behaves more like my Finster who is a Natural Mink...both whom are second in line...Alastair my Blue Mink is lowest on the totem pole is always rolling over and showing his belly (very submissive posture)to the other two cats, and humans and will tolerate being rubbed there...Fin will also show his belly to any human and let it be touched...which is also something Duente does...but Bentley and Jazz will generally only show their belly to their Alpha humans but do not necessarily want it touched...
>>
>>Both Bentley and Jazz will lay in a pile with their other cat(s), but prefer to sleep alone or on their humans...Duente, Finster and Alastair prefer to lay in a pile with their other cat(s) but will not pass up a good human...
>>-----
>>Lisa, owned by Bentley,Alastair, Finster, & Trysta (greyhound)

Interesting - thanks for the information. I think you're right about the gender playing the biggest role in the behavior. I probably will get a different coat color for my next tonk just for variety.
TonkTV