Cat Breeds Guide - An Overview Of The Snowshoe

While still comparatively rare, this hybrid of the Siamese and the bicolor American Shorthair has all the good

points of its forbears.

The prettily marked Snowshoe is lively, affectionate and very responsive to humans.

Seal points and blue points with white boots, throats and facial markings have occurred spontaneously for decades. But one group of dedicated breeders in the US was so taken with the distinctive white patterning of such kittens, that they worked for years from the late 1960s to set a standard and to have these cats accepted as a new breed, which they called the Snowshoe.

This cat is the result of crossings of Siamese, Birman and bicolor American Shorthairs. It was registered by the Cat Fanciers Federation and the American Cat Association by 1974 and gained championship status in 1982, but not all associations recognize it for championship status yet.

The Snowshoe combines the heftiness of its domestic Shorthair ancestors with the body length of its oriental ancestors. It has an athletic appearance of great power and agility, like a runner. The medium sized body is rectangular, well muscled, powerful and heavily built.

The neck should be of medium length. The head is a slightly rounded triangular wedge, with cheekbones set high. The medium length nose is straight with a slight rise on the bridge. The nose leather varies with coat color. The large, round eyes are a vivid blue and should slant up from the nose toward the base of each year.

The medium sized ears are slightly rounded at the tips and set forward from the outside of the head giving a continuing line from the head to the ears.

The strong, well muscled legs should be of good length, in proportion to the body and well boned, but not as heavy as those of the American Shorthair. The medium length tail should taper to a point.

The glossy coat is short to medium length and should be double or plush. The ideal pattern, which is quite a challenge to produce, calls for a solid color on the back and sides of the animal with white confined to the insides of the legs and belly.

A white throat is desirable as is white on the underside of the head. The preferred facial pattern is a white muzzle in the shape of an inverted V. Preferred foot markings are matching white boots extending to the bend of the ankle on the front feet, and matching white boots extending to just below the hock on the back feet.

Only minimal grooming is required and an occasional combing to remove dead hair will suffice.

Preference is for cats displaying the proper amount of white and in the preferred pattern. Only two colors are allowed, that is seal point or blue point. The nose leather and paw pads may be either pink or the color of the points or a combination of the two.

Lively and adaptable, the Snowshoe combines the best characteristics of its American Shorthair, Birman and Siamese ancestors, and is an excellent hunter. It is full of fun, a good companion and gets along well with other animals. It becomes quite devoted to its owner.

The Snowshoe is quite a vocal cat, although its voice is softer than that of its Siamese ancestors.

So, as a summary, Snowshoe needs occasional combing, needs warm climate, short medium coarse, is active, playful, outgoing and affectionate.