Tonk…Tonk…Tonkians?
September 21st 2010 21:00
Back in the day when I knew virtually nothing about cats, I happened to be pawed and sniffed at by Butterscotch and Gingersnap. Out of curiosity, I asked their parent, Brett, what breed they were.
“Tonkinese,” Brett said. “They’re a mix between Burmese and Siamese.”
That meant nothing to me. The only cat breed I knew of was the Bombay and that was because my ex-neighbour had them.
“They’re bred to look like panthers,” my neighbour loved to crow. “They’re part tabby and Burmese.”
I didn’t even know what a tabby was but I figured it was one of those cats that had the characteristic M on their forehead.
So when Brett told me what breed his cats were, I could barely even pronounce it, much less remember it.
“Tonk…Tonk…Tonkians?” I repeated. Then I got it. “Tonkinese,” I said before Brett had a chance to correct me.
One of my colleagues loves to tease me about this. “Burmese cats come from Burma, Siamese come from Siam so where do Tonkinese cats come from? Tonkin?”
“They’re half Burmese, half Siamese,” I would reply. “I don’t think there is such a place called Tonkin.”
Actually, I am wrong. According to a website with the adorable name of Cat Urine, Tonkin is a part of Vietnam. For more on the origins of the Tonkinese name, click HERE .
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