Snowshoe

The Snowshoe is an intelligent cat and loves to be around people. They are ideal companions and will follow their humans around the house, talking in a soft melodic voice. They do need company so if you are out all day two cats may be the answer. They are playful and can be taught to fetch and do need toys and games for amusement. They are vigorous and vibrant but are not highly strung. They are best kept as house cats.

The Snowshoe is a medium sized cat and combines the solid heftiness of the American Shorthair with the lithe elegance of the Siamese. The head is a rounded triangle with a medium length nose that is straight in profile. The eyes are large and slanting. The ears are set wide apart and are large and pointed. The body is long and athletic. When the cat is lifted it feels heavier than it appears. The legs are medium in length and the paws are neat and oval. The tail is medium in length and tapers to a rounded tip.

The Snowshoe has Siamese style points combined with white paws and white spotting. The coat is short and glossy and the mask, ears, legs and tail are much darker than the body, coming in blue, seal, lilac, chocolate varieties. The blue and seal are the most popular as these give the greatest contrast with the white markings. Snowshoe kittens are born all white and only begin to show their colours and markings after several weeks. No two kittens have the same markings. The perfect pattern for a show cat is hard to achieve and indeed varies between different breed associations. Generally the Snowshoe pattern can be divided into two categories: - Bi-Colour Snowshoe: In the Bi-Colour, up to two-thirds of the cat can be white. The paws are always white (as in all Snowshoes). Mitted Snowshoes: All four feet are white and the white may range from just the toes to halfway up the leg. A full or partial inverted 'V' extends from betweeen the eyes down over the nose. The white areas cover less than one third of the cat. In all colours and patterns the eye colour is a pure brilliant deep blue.

The Snowshoe does not have any specific health problems, but it is advisable to have an annual health check from about the age of eight or nine to check the teeth and liver and kidney function.

The Snowshoe is an American breed resulting from crossing Siamese with American Shorthairs during the 1960’s. Cat breeders recognized the unique beauty of these cats and ensured its survival, and the gene pool is now quite large. Currently the popularity of the Snowshoe is increasing throughout America and the rest of the world.

These cats have a fondness for water. Unlike most cats that want nothing to do with water, many Snowshoes will gladly jump in the bathtub or splash around in a shallow bin of water while they play.

Everyone’s favorite frowny-face feline, Grumpy Cat, was a mixed breed cat. However, with a quick glance at her coat markings, many people have little doubt that she had some Snowshoe in her ancestry.

Before taking the name ‘Snowshoe,’ these cats were originally called ‘Silver Laces.’