Tonkinese Cat Picture

Another beautiful and active cat picture by Helmi Flick. This Tonkinese cat picture shows what I believe to be a lilac, fawn or blue mink Tonkinese. Despite picking three colors, I am probably incorrect as the pointing is very subtle! Please leave a comment if you have the answer. The Tonkinese looks almost like a traditional Siamese cat in terms of body shape with a different range of body and pointing colors due to it being a Burmese/ Siamese hybrid. It is a nice, moderate cat, not bred to extreme. That I think this is its strength. You can see the more rounded head and shorter face than the Siamese show cats or indeed the Thai cats (called old style Siamese). They are like Applehead Siamese in this respect although breeders would not like me making that comparison, I suspect. The coat is fine and close lying as can be seen in Helmi's photo. This makes for very easy maintenance.

Burmilla Picture

Photo Marc Jordan (Flickr)

The creation of the Burmilla was a happy accident when a couple of purebred cats got up to a bit of hanky panky in London, UK! A chinchilla Persian and a Burmese got up to some unauthorized breeding. Why not? That occurred in 1981 and the rest is history as they say. The Burmilla is a cat of the Asian Group of cats.  The Burmilla is also called the Asian Shaded and includes both shaded and tipped cats. The tabby markings are only on the face and tail. You can see that, faintly, in the photograph. This is a medium sized cat. Click here to read and see more.

Burmese Cat Picture

Burmese cat - Photograph copyright Helmi Flick

Another great Helmi Flick, professional, cat photograph of a Burmese show cat, probably taken at a cat show in the USA. The American Burmese cat is different to the UK and the Australian breed. I think the USA version is more extreme with a more rounded body (cobby) and perhaps, without wishing to upset, a slightly unnaturally rounded head. It is said that this breed started when a Dr. Thompson imported a cat from Burma (now Myanmar, 2011). This cat was bred to a Siamese. You can see, therefore, the heavy connection with the Siamese cat. The Burmese is meant to look rounded. The modern Siamese is meant to look slender and elegant. Selective breeding produced the divergence in appearance between the two breeds. The Burmese is pointed but the pointing is difficult to detect sometimes. This is a vocal and talkative cat after the Siamese. This is a mainstream cat breed of long standing and a popular cat. Click here to read and see more.

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Bombay Cat Picture

Bombay cat - photograph copyright Helmi Flick
Please respect Helmi's copyright

The Bombay cat is a super, glossy, jet black, purebred cat with large copper eyes. It is nice to see the black cat celebrated. The adult black cat is apparently unpopular at cat rescue facilities. Yet, there is evidence that the black cat is potentially healthier than any other color and pattern. This Bombay cat picture is by the celebrated, American Helmi Flick, a professional cat photographer. She says that they are difficult to photograph because autofocus cameras cannot get a fix on the black, patent leather coat. Helmi has to use manual focus to ensure a sharp image.

The concept behind the Bombay cat was to create a black panther type domestic cat.  In that way it is an alternative to the wildcat hybrid concept. The breed was created in 1953 and it is fully recognised by the CFA. The Bombay is a hybrid cat from mating a Burmese with a black American Shorthair. Cats of this breed have a Burmese cat personality: relaxed, friendly and intelligent. The cover of the beautiful book on cats, Legacy of the Cat features a Bombay cat. Click here to read and see more.