Forget The Grumpy Cat Stereotype, Snowshoes Are Awesome.

Cats of very pleasing appearance and personality.

The Snowshoe has the outgoing personality of both the American Shorthair and the Siamese. It may or may not be talkative. When it does vocalize, it tends to have a softer, more melodic voice than the Siamese.

The Snowshoe is a rare breed of cat originating in the United States of America in the 1960s.

Snowshoes were first produced in Philadelphia when a Siamese breeder's cat gave birth to three kittens with white feet. The breeder, Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, then began a breeding program to produce what were originally called "Silver Laces", crossing the strangely marked Siamese cats with bi-color American Shorthair cats and other breeds. When Hinds-Daugherty left the program, Vikki Olander began working with the cats and recruited new breeders, as well as worked towards full recognition within cat associations. Despite having existed for 45 years, Snowshoes are rare due to the difficulty of reproducing the correct coat markings. The marks are based on recessive genes for color points and on the co-dominant but variably-expressed piebald pattern gene, making it difficult to predict the appearance of offspring.

Profile

As its name suggests, the outstanding feature of the Snowshoe breed is its four white feet. The distribution of the white and the pointed color is carefully outlined in the breed standard. Ideally the white pattern should be symmetrical. The cat itself is medium-sized, its body long but hefty. It should be powerful and agile. The Snowshoe is a talker with a soft, melodic voice. Very personable and intelligent, this breed is an ideal companion and adapts well to other cats.

Like his ancestor the Siamese

the Snowshoe is a pointed cat, meaning she has a light-colored body with dark areas in seal or blue: the tail, legs, and ears, plus a mask around the eyes, broken up by an inverted V-shaped marking in white between blue eyes and over the muzzle. Four white paws punctuate the dark legs, with the front paws termed "mittens" and the rear paws "boots." The body is more rounded than that of the Siamese, with short hair.

Personality

Breeders brave enough to take on the Snowshoe challenge find that the cat pays back the effort in love and affection. Anyone looking for an aloof, standoffish cat need not apply for Snowshoe ownership, fanciers claim that Snowshoes don't realize that they're cats; they consider themselves people. They love to touch and be touched. Very intelligent, they can be taught a number of tricks. Snowshoes are also known for their fascination with water and on occasion will climb into the tub for a swim, as long as it's their idea. While not as loud or vocal as the Siamese, Snowshoes are never at a loss for words.

What They Are Like to Live With

The Snowshoe has a sparkling and affectionate personality and likes being with people, although some can be a bit shy with strangers. It generally gets along well with other cats if it's properly raised and socialized. The Snowshoe is intelligent and trainable.

Things You Should Know

The Snowshoe is generally healthy, although some may have a kinked tail or crossed eyes, remnants of its Siamese heritage.

The Snowshoe's soft, short coat is easy to groom, and the cat enjoys the attention.

The Snowshoe generally weighs 10 to 12 pounds.

Snowshoe History

The Snowshoe was developed by Philadelphia breeder Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty in the early 1960s. She crossed a bicolor American Shorthair with a Siamese, and the result was a sturdy, pointed cat with white markings on the face, chest and feet. Another breeder, Vikki Olander, wrote a standard for the new cat and pressed for its recognition, which was achieved in 1974. The American Cat Association (ACA) was the first to recognize the Snowshoe as a breed.

Still considered a rare breed

the Snowshoe is now recognized by the American Association of Cat Enthusiasts (AACE), the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA), the Cat Fanciers Federation (CFF) and The International Cat Association (TICA). Snowshoes may be outcrossed to American Shorthairs, Oriental Shorthairs and Siamese without penalty.

The Look of a Snowshoe

The Snowshoe is distinguished by its pointed coat, white markings on the feet and a white inverted V on the face that begins at the forehead and spreads down across the muzzle. The short coat comes in typical Siamese colorsseal, chocolate, lilac, blue, red, cream, cinnamon and fawnand in two patterns, mitted and bicolor. Kittens are born white, and point color develops as they mature.

Bright Eyes

Bright blue eyes peer out from a head shaped like a modified wedge and topped with medium-size ears that have slightly rounded tips. This is a medium-size cat with an intermediate body type that's firm and muscular, not sleek or dainty.

The coat coloration recognized by registries and associations is point coloration

It comes in a variety of colors, though some organizations do not recognize certain colors. Snowshoe cats have an affectionate and docile disposition. Due to this, they do not do well under circumstances where they are left alone for long periods of time. Snowshoes are also very vocal, though their voices are not as loud as the Siamese, a cat found in their breed heritage. They are noted as being very intelligent and have the ability to learn tricks and open doors. These cats also enjoy water, and may swim.

The eyes of this breed are often described as being walnut shaped, they are of a beautiful blue and often very bright.

Many show standard Snowshoes have a white inverted "V" shaped marking over the nose and muzzle.

The markings that earned this breed its name are, of course, the white markings on all four paws, mittens on the front paws and boots on the rear paws. A most attractive cat.

Like their Siamese ancestors, Snowshoe kittens are born completely white and only begin to show their coat markings and color after some weeks.

The Snowshoe is a breed of cat with personality aplenty, famous for providing their humans with constant amusement.

These cats are generally very sociable, mixing amiably with other cats and pets. Very much at home with a family of humans, many Snowshoes tolerate children well as they do not startle easily and are quite comfortable with a lot of noise.

Although a Snowshoe may have a favorite human they are usually affectionate towards all members of the family and are of a loving nature.

Not as talkative as the Siamese

With a softer voice, most Snowshoes will make themselves heard when they require your attention, which can be quite often.

Not a cat that likes to be left alone while their human is at work, most Snowshoes will nonetheless be content to spend the day in the company of another cat, or cats.