Customer Reviews

Tonkinese Cats

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If this book has any fault, it lies in being TOO inclusive. The author is clearly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about her subject, and the book includes many gorgeous photographs of Tonks. In addition to information about basic care of Tonks (much of which can be found in other "how to take care of cats" books), she provides an indepth history on the breed, including different type classifications in various countries, as well as genetic information helpful to breeders.

I do not breed or show my Tonks; they are retired show cats I adopted from a breeder. This book provided more information than I really needed. However, it sits on my shelf just the same, as an encyclopedic reference. A great resource book for those who really love the breed.

My wife & I have a new Tonkinese kitten - and I searched for the word Tonkinese and found this book. After I got it, I was disappointed with it. While I agree with one of the other reviews here about the author being enthusiastic, I felt way overwhelmed.

It felt to me that this book was written more for a breeder than a "regular cat owner". It also felt like a "reference" book, more than a book you can just pick up and read.

It was well put together, but for me, I felt it was way more than I needed. Also, for the size of the book, $31 is a bit steep (which was the price when I wrote this). Shouldn't have been more than $13 or $14, I felt.

This is the most comprehensive source of information on the Tonkinese breed that I have found! The book not only provides the history of this fascinating cat, but covers every aspect imaginable. The color pictures alone make this book well worth the purchase price. Thank you, Linda Vousden, for your research of this most endearing breed of cat!

Tonkinese Cats by Linda Voudsen is a good reference for Tonk lovers. My only regret is that it was written for English Tonkinese cats and not the ones accepted by the CFA here in the USA. If you are a Brittish Cat Fancier, you will find lots of pictures, descriptions of good tonks, a good treatise on the genetics and coat patterns..., health issues with special attention to problems associated with tonks. Also, there is a good section on what their cat shows look for. I wish they had a book this good for the United States since the recognized coat patterns and some of the criteria are different here.

Love the book.
I just got my own two little Tonks and I also own the other guide by Lorraine Shelton (ISBN 0793821924). Both together are a great help as my kittens are my first cats!

Vousden's book does go into great detail about genetics and selective breeding and what it means to breed true to standard. However, there is also tonnes of information for the novice Tonk cat owner, on all areas of healthcare, grooming, feeding and especially what to look out for or beware of when choosing a Tonk kitten.
If you are actually interested in the breed, this is a great book as not only does it cover the basics in detail, it covers the origins, possible drawbacks of the breed, personality characteristics and shows you examples of how to read your Tonk's papers and pedigree. It also tells you where the cats in the great photos in the book come from, which means you can actually contact the cattery yourself if you like what you see, as these catteries are well established. The appendixes at the back of the book are amazingly detailed and one can tell lots of research work has been invested and into compiling this book together.
It tells you not only the associations in Britain but also that in America and Europe and what characteristics are accepted or not accepted. The appendix also gives you up to date details on how to contact them and possible legal inquiries one might have when moving with the animals from one continent to another ( I moved with my cats from America to Canada and then to Germany)

Vousden has written a book for almost anyone interested in the breed, prospective Tonk owners, and also any novice who may one day consider breeding or attending cat shows as spectator or shower.

It does however take time to pore through the book or to do selective reading so you might want to (especially if you are novice) get a good book on good cat ownership that you could quickly flip through and perhaps also pick up Shelton's Tonk cat guide.

Overall, I think Vousden's book is a great reference for anyone interested in the breed as either pet,show or breeding quality;Tonk owner, propective Tonk owner, breeder or prospective breeder, to have at home!

I found an abandoned, purebred Tonkinese kitten at a local cat rescue organization, believe it or not ! She is quite beautiful, lively, and not quite like a Siamese. I became interested in finding a good book about the breed, and there are not many books written on the subject. I received this book as a Christmas book, purchased through Amazon. What an excellent book it is ! The most thorough cat book I have owned, with complete history of the breed, and the many pictures are wonderful. This is a perfect gift for any Tonkinese owner. Being a British publication seems to make this book difficult to come by. Thanks to Amazon for having it.

I recently purchased this book from Amazon as books on Tonkinese cats are not available in Australia. I was not disappointed. I have two Tonks with a litter due in a few weeks. This will be my only litter and I do not have the time to show, however I found that the book gave useful info. on these topics as well as plenty of useful info. for 'pet' owners. Tonks have only just begun to be accepted as a registered breed in Australia and I would have to say that they are a wonderful breed clearly outlined in Linda's book. Well done!

I bought the book via Amazon.com because here in Belgium there are no specific books for this breed.
Because i'm a beginning breeder i find it very important to have the amount of knowledge necaissary before i start with a first litter...
This book is a very good guide for me (character, genetics, ...)

Although I have not had the chance to read the whole book it looks darned good. It is a beautiful hardcover with 270 pages and can be purchased used for next to nothing. The other book by Lorraine Shelton is outrageously expensive and in it's only 64 pages. It really turned out to be a pretty generic book about cats AND as a used paperback it was over $40. However, this book is written for an English (vs. American) audience. They seem to use different words while discussing color and patters and this was confusing for a novice such as me. They also talk a lot about the British cat registrations but if you are good with these things then go with this book. It also has a more comprehensive coverage of health issues.