The Snowshoe is a pointed cat with white markings on its face, chest, stomach and feet. A medium to large cat, the Snowshoe combines power and agility in a well-balanced, muscular body that is medium boned and heavily built. Bright blue eyes complement the cat's distinctive Lone Ranger mask and delicate white feet.

Native Country

United States

Breed Description

Head: Medium-sized, shaped almost like an equilateral triangle (u), with slightly rounded contours. Slightly flat forehead. High cheekbones. Fairly broad muzzle, neither too broad nor pointed or angular. No whisker pinch (u). Straight nose with very slight curve at the base of the forehead. Firm chin.
Eyes: Fairly large, oval, walnut-shaped, slightly slanted. Separated by one eye-width. Color: blue, as intense as possible.
Neck: Moderately long.
Body: Well-balanced, semi-foreign, can be inscribed in a rectangle. Croup slightly higher than shoulders. Slightly arched back. Medium-boned. Muscles powerful but not massive.
Paw: Proportionate to the body. Medium bone and muscle structure. Medium-sized, oval paws.
Tail: Length in proportion to the body. Moderately thick at the base, tapering slightly to the tip.
Coat: Short, thick, shiny hair lying flat against the body. Very slight undercoat. Classic Siamese colors: seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac. The color of the extremities (points) should contrast clearly with the body color, which is always lighter. The eyes are always blue. Inverted V on the forehead, white markings on the paws. Ideally, four even gloves. The nose leather may be white with no coloring, flesh colored, or multi-colored. In the mitted variety, the white should cover no more than 1/3 the body. In the bicolor, the white should cover no more than 2/3 the body. Among the recognized varieties are: - seal point: dark buff coat on the back, light buff on the belly and chest with brown points - blue point: bluish-white body, with a lighter belly and chest. The points are dark bluish-gray. Snowshoes are born all white, and the points darken with age.
Fault: Head too long. Muzzle too broad. Small, rounded ears. Small, rounded, very slanted eyes. Body very long and frail or too short and massive. Thin tail. Knotted, fine-boned legs. Disqualify: longhaired coat, eyes not blue. White markings covering the colored points. Fewer than four white “shoes”.

History

The Snowshoe is a hybrid cat originating as a variant from Siamese parents. This new breed resulted from a desire to combine into one cat the points of the Siamese and the gloved paws of the Birman. The origin of the Snowshoe can be traced back to 1960 when Dorothy Hinds Daugherty, Kensing Cattery, Philadelphia, PA found three kittens in a litter of Siamese, each with four white feet. Although the variant did not re-occur, Dorothy liked the contrast between the point color and the stark white of the feet and developed the first Snowshoe line by crossing her Siamese with a bicolor American Shorthair. Continued breeding eventually produced the popular 'V' face of the current Snowshoe in addition to the mitted variety. The Snowshoe looks like a hefty Siamese sporting white gloves. Recognized by T.I.C.A. in the 1980s, the breed has been somewhat successful in the United States but remains rare.

Behavior

Snowshoe is a friendly cat that manages to retain the astute intelligence along with just a touch of the mystic aloofness provided by their Oriental ancestors. The Snowshoe is generally a 'talker', with a soft, melodic voice and habitats well in a multiple cat family. An inquisitive and active cat, the Snowshoe offers many hours of delightful entertainment and a cats lifetime of affectionate companionship. This extremely lively cat with a strong personality is also a good hunter. He is sociable and gets along well with other cats and with dogs. Playful Snowshoes are excellent companions for children. They are gentle and very affectionate toward their owner. Less demanding than the Siamese, they are more talkative than the American Shorthair. In terms of grooming, they require weekly brushing.