Myth #1: The Tonkinese defining trait is the mink coat pattern
with aqua eyes.
Fact: Other breeds, including American Curl, Cornish Rex, Devon
Rex, and Sphynx, also have mink colors with aqua eyes. Tonks don't 
own the mink pattern and aqua eyes, and half of all Tonks are not 
minks.  The defining trait of Tonkinese is its unique type.

Myth #2: We could eliminate the points and solids if we wanted to.
We should concentrate on just producing Tonkinese with the mink gene.
Fact: There is no mink gene. The mink pattern is a result of the 
blending of the effects of a low-contrast and a high-contrast gene. 
Since both of these genes are needed for the cat to have a mink 
patterned coat, the offspring of these cats can have two low-contrast 
genes (solid Tonkinese), two high-contrast genes (pointed Tonkinese) 
or one of each (mink coated Tonkinese). Therefore, a mink to mink 
breeding can always produce all three possible combinations of the 
two genes: on average 25% pointed, 50% mink, and 25% solid. Think we 
can eliminate points and solids in our litters? We challenge you to 
understand the issue! For more information on how the minking factor 
works, please visit:  http://www.TonksWest.org/CoatPattern.html

Myth #3: Recognizing Tonkinese AOVs in Championship is the same 
issue as recognizing straight-eared Scottish Folds and tailed Manx.
Fact: It is not the same issue at all. Folds and Manx each 
represent a unique physical mutation. Fold and Manx AOVs don't conform 
to the unique physical mutation required for their breed. All three 
Tonkinese coat patterns are natural to the breed (not mutations) and 
occur in predictable proportions. A Tonkinese AOV is just a Tonk in a 
different coat pattern.

Myth #4: Tonkinese breeders promised they would never ask to 
have the AOV patterns accepted in championship.
Fact: The official minutes from the Board meeting reflect no 
such agreement. No one was authorized by the Tonkinese breeders to make 
such a promise.

Myth #5: Moving Tonkinese AOVs to championship would affect the 
Siamese and Burmese breeds.
Fact: The standards for these three breeds differ significantly
from each other in much more than coat pattern. All three breeds do 
share common ancestors, but each has been carefully bred to its own 
distinctive conformation for many years. We are very proud of our breed
and do not want Tonkinese to look like any other breed. The only 
Tonkinese traits shared with Siamese and Burmese today are coat and eye 
color, which also appear in many other breeds. Tonkinese in the AOV 
patterns do not affect Siamese and Burmese any more than they affect 
Himalayans or Birmans.

Myth #6: Pointed Tonkinese look like Siamese and solid Tonkinese 
look like Burmese.
Fact: A cat has at least 50,000 genes.  Only two genes, each with
two values, create the three coat pattern variations in the Tonkinese 
breed.  The other 49,998 genes define the body, head, personality, and 
all other aspects of the Tonkinese.  For the Tonkinese, the other genes 
must define cats that adhere to the same standard.  All Tonkinese should 
be consistent except for the degree of coat contrast and eye color.  For 
example, Siamese and Himilayans share color and coat pattern with the 
pointed Tonkinese, but none of the three share conformation with each 
other.  Good examples of these three breeds would never be confused with 
each other, even if they all have the same eye and coat color.  A 
Tonkinese should look like a Tonkinese and no other breed, regardless of 
degree of contrast in its coat pattern or its eye color.

Myth #7: Pointed Tonks are a way for Appleheaded Siamese to find 
their way into CFA.
Fact: Pointed Tonkinese are NOT Appleheaded Siamese. Tonkinese 
have both Siamese and Burmese ancestors.  Tonkinese are only bred to 
other Tonkinese to meet the standard worded specifically for Tonkinese.

Myth #8: Tonkinese get their AOV patterns by outcrossing to 
Siamese and Burmese.
Fact: CFA-registered Tonkinese have not outcrossed to any other 
breed for more than 17 years.  The stud books have been closed since 
May 1, 1984.

Myth #9: All Tonkinese have aqua eyes.
Fact: Only the mink patterned Tonkinese should have aqua eyes.  
The pointed Tonkinese should have blue eyes and the solid Tonkinese 
should have yellow-green eyes.  The eye color is closely coupled to the 
coat pattern and should vary with the coat pattern.

Myth #10: Using points and solids in our breeding programs will 
weaken the intensity of the aqua eye color in our mink patterned cats.
Fact: The opposite is true.  The most vivid aqua eye color is 
produced by breeding AOVs with strong eye color appropriate to their 
coat pattern  (i.e. brilliant blue on a pointed coat and bright 
yellow-green on a solid).  Using an AOV with incorrect eye color for its 
coat pattern produces poor aqua eye color in mink patterned offspring.

Myth #11: Tonkinese do not breed true.
Fact: A Tonkinese to Tonkinese breeding always results in all 
Tonkinese offspring.  Since the same pair of genes produces all three 
coat patterns, the probabilities for each coat pattern in kittens are 
known in advance for every breeding.

Myth #12: Some Tonkinese AOVs have solid-colored coats.
Fact: All three Tonkinese coat patterns are color-restricted 
(pointed).  They merely reflect genetically different degrees of contrast 
between point color and body color (low, medium and high).  Both 
Tonkinese and Burmese breeders often use the word 'solid' to describe the
low-contrast pattern.  The true solid coat pattern gene found in may other
breeds is dominant and does not exist in the Tonkinese breed.