Care for Tonkinese

Are you looking for a cuddly, active, friendly cat? The Tonkinese breed is well known for being sociable and loving. This medium sized, muscular cat with blue eyes is a result of crossbreeding the Siamese cat with the Burmese cat. A Tonkinese may come in one of a dozen coat colors and patterns. Taking care of your unique Tonkinese cat will take a little work, but it will pay off with a happy, healthy companion for life.

Keeping Your Tonkinese Healthy

 * 1) Get your cat vaccinated. Check with the breeder to see if your Tonkinese has gotten her first distemper vaccine at six weeks of age. Ask for proof that she's gotten this important vaccine, along with a dewormer at her first veterinarian examination. Don't bring your cat home until she's gotten them. Make sure to schedule the following tests and vaccines for your cat: [[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 1.jpg|center]]
 * 2) *Feline leukemia test: Talk with your vet to determine if you should vaccinate your Tonkinese against feline leukemia. Your cat should be tested for the disease before exposing her to other cats in your home. You can also have her tested when she gets her first distemper booster.
 * 3) *Distemper boosters: Your cat needs these at 9 weeks and 12 weeks of age. She'll need them annually after these early boosters.
 * 4) *Rabies vaccination: Your Tonkinese should get this at 12 weeks of age and then you'll need to follow your city or county requirements and vaccine manufacturer's recommendation. Usually, an every other year vaccination is advised.
 * 5) *Dewormer: Give a dewormer every 3 to 4 weeks, starting when your Tonkinese is 8 or 9 weeks old. Do this a minimum of two times.
 * 6) Consider spaying or neutering your cat. Decide if you'd like to breed your cat. If not, get your Tonkinese spayed (if she's female) or neutered (if he's male) to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Make sure to have the surgery done before your Tonkinese is six months old. This will reduce the likelihood that your Tonkinese will breed before having the surgery.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 2.jpg|center]]
 * 7) *Spaying or neutering your cat can also cut down on undesirable behaviors such as spraying urine or annoying heat induced behaviors, can reduce her cancer risk, and can reduce the likelihood that she'll roam.
 * 8) Take your Tonkinese for regular veterinary exams. While it may seem like your Tonkinese is constantly at the vet's if she's a kitten, you need to continue providing regular veterinary care as she grows. Your cat should see the vet once a year for an exam and vaccination boosters. Do this until she becomes a senior cat around 10 years of age.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 3.jpg|center]]
 * 9) *Once your Tonkinese is around 10 years old she should see the veterinarian twice a year. This will help catch any age-related diseases.
 * 10) Get your cat used to teeth brushing. Use a cat toothbrush and toothpaste to brush your cat's teeth every day. Get your cat used to teeth brushing by initially placing a small amount of toothpaste on your fingertip to let your cat taste it. Do this again the next day, but also rub your finger along her gums. The following day, put toothpaste on the brush and gently rub it along his gums. Over the next few days, slowly work the bristles along her teeth in small circles, working up to the entire mouth. [[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 4.jpg|center]]
 * 11) *Avoid using human toothpaste because the fluoride it contains is toxic to cats.
 * 12) *Brushing your cat's teeth daily will reduce plaque and bacteria buildup. Once your cat is comfortable with the process, it should only take a minute.
 * 13) Get your cat's teeth professionally examined. While your veterinarian check your cat's teeth at her annual exam, you should also take her if you notice any loose or missing teeth; if she has growths or sores in her mouth; or if her gums are red or inflamed. [[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 5.jpg|center]]
 * 14) *Daily brushing is important, but it won't remove the deeper buildup of plaque and bacterial buildup under the gums. Take your Tonkinese to the veterinarian once a year for a professional teeth cleaning.
 * 15) Know when to take your cat to the veterinarian. If your cat is acting ill, contact your veterinarian for advice. Cats are good at hiding illnesses, so if you see her acting ill, she may have been sick for a while. Symptoms of illness include: [[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 6.jpg|center]]
 * 16) *Change in diet (not eating or drinking)
 * 17) *Vomiting excessively
 * 18) *Diarrhea
 * 19) *Problems urinating (either excessive or unable)
 * 20) *Weakness or lethargy

Feeding and Grooming Your Tonkinese

 * 1) Purchase a quality cat food. Read the labels on cat foods and look for one that lists meat as one of the top two ingredients. Tonkinese cats need meat to get certain amino acids found only in meat protein. If they do not get these essential amino acids, they can become ill. They can suffer from serious eye and heart problems if these amino acids are lacking in the diet.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 7.jpg|center]]
 * 2) *Manufactured cat food contains the essential nutrients your cat needs, but you still need to look for a quality product that doesn't contain more fillers than meat.
 * 3) Serve your cat small, frequent meals. Proper feeding is an important way to keep your Tonkinese healthy. Talk with your veterinarian or look on the food package to determine how much food to give according to your cat's age, weight, and activity level. Split this amount into two or three servings a day. Cats prefer to eat frequent, small meals throughout the day. [[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 8.jpg|center]]
 * 4) *Spreading out the food during the day will keep your Tonkinese feeling full and satisfied.
 * 5) *You may want to purchase a timed feeder that dispenses food throughout the day.
 * 6) Check your cat's skin when you groom. Use a rubber brush or regular soft bristled cat brush to briskly brush over your Tonkinese. Since Tonkinese have a shorter coat, they don't need much grooming. Take grooming as a chance to check your cat for fleas, cysts, lumps or bumps on the skin. If fleas you find fleas, treat your cat immediately to control the problems.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 9.jpg|center]]
 * 7) *Pay attention to any lumps or bumps, especially their size, shape and color. If they doesn’t resolve or grow within a week, contact your veterinarian.
 * 8) Trim your cat's nails. Trim your Tonkinese's claws when they get long and sharp. Place your cat on your lap and use the forearm on your dominant arm to gently restrain her upper body. Once she's restrained, use your other hand to pick up a paw and gently press on it. This will expose her claws and you can use your dominant hand to trim the the white tips off. Just be sure to avoid trimming the pink part of the nail. This area contains the blood and nerve supply. Cutting this part would cause your Tonkinese pain.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 10.jpg|center]]
 * 9) *You can use scissor-type clippers, a guillotine-type of clipper, or human nail clippers.

Creating a Nurturing Environment

 * 1) Choose a litter box setup. Place your cat's litter box in quiet part of the house that is out of the way. Tonkinese cats are generally easy to litter box train, as long as they have a clean litter box with fresh litter. Choose clay, clumping, silica-based, or plant based litter (like pine or wheat). Once you find a litter that your cat likes, keep using that kind or your cat may decide to relieve herself somewhere else.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 11.jpg|center]]
 * 2) *Studies show that cats prefer fine-grained, unscented litter.
 * 3) *Clean your cat's litter box daily by scooping out the soiled litter and replacing it with fresh litter.
 * 4) Give your Tonkinese a scratching post. A scratching post gives your playful cat a chance to scratch, climb, and explore. Teach your cat to use the scratching post instead of scratching other things. When you notice your Tonkinese scratching something like the furniture, pick her up and place her near the scratching post. She'll soon associate scratching with the post. You can also spray cat deterrent spray on items you don’t want damaged by his scratching.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 12.jpg|center]]
 * 5) *Scratching is a normal, healthy activity for cats to help them remove the dead outer part of the claws. It also lets your cat mark her territory.
 * 6) Play with your Tonkinese. Since Tonkinese cats are active, you'll need to offer plenty of toys to keep her stimulated. Be sure to include interactive toys so that you can play with her. Consider using laser pointers and feather wand toys in your play sessions. Tonkinese love to play fetch. Toss her wadded up pieces of paper or small soft balls.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 13.jpg|center]]
 * 7) *Don't forget that your Tonkinese cat also enjoys cuddling you. Let her spend time sitting in your lap or just relaxing with you.
 * 8) Set up high places. Tonkinese cats love to explore and climb. Give your cat the opportunity to climb and scramble. You may purchase a cat tower or set up a ramp so she can climb up and look out windows.[[Image:Care for Tonkinese Step 14.jpg|center]]
 * 9) * Your Tonkinese may become troublesome if she gets bored. Prevent this by creating an interesting environment for her to discover.

Tips

 * Offer your Tonkinese canned foods as a way to add water to her diet.
 * If your cat doesn't drink a lot of water, try using water fountains or bubblers.
 * Use tiny amounts of cat food as a cat treat or offer a play session as a treat instead of food.
 * Consider purchasing an automatic litter box that will clean the box for you (although you still have to toss the waste occasionally).

Warnings

 * Never give your Tonkinese human food. This will only add extra calories to her diet and some human foods can even be deadly to your cat.
 * If you're changing your cat's diet, do it gradually by mixing the old food with her new food over the course of at least a week. If you change foods abruptly, it can cause stomach upset.

Sources and Citations
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