What is the history of the Traditional Tonkinese?
The earliest mention of the breed of cat we have come to know as the “Tonkinese” came in “The Cat Book Poems” written in Siam (now Thailand) in the Ayudha Period (1300-1767). Called the Thong Daeng, Suphalak or Coppers, they were grouped together with the Burmese. Simply stated they came in light and dark colors. The Traditional Burmese, Classic Burmese (dark colored) and the Tonkinese (light colored) are found in Thailand today. (Please see the TCA, Inc. presentation of the Thai Cat Breeds). The next historical presentation came in Francis Simpson’s 1902 book, “The Book of the Cat”, where the Tonkinese is mentioned in the “Siamese” section, but with no breed name. Why this blurry connection with the Burmese and Siamese breeds, where both existed for centuries in Thailand? The history of the Tonkinese bares the truth of it. The Tonkinese is a blend of both the Siamese and Burmese breeds. By the ancient texts and in testimonials in books over 100 years old, this type of cat was created
