Snowshoe Cats

The Snowshoe is a rare and relatively new breed of cat originating in the United States of America. Snowshoes were first seen in Philadelphia, when a breeder's Siamese cat gave birth to three kittens with the pattern. The breeder, Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, began to promote the cat and began a breeding program for them. When Hinds-Daugherty left the program, Vikki Olander began working with the cats and recruited new breeders, as well as working towards full recognition with cat associations. Despite having existed for 45 years, Snowshoes are rare due to the difficulty of reproducing exactly the coat markings. These are based on recessive genes for the color points and on the co-dominant but variably-expressed piebald pattern gene, making it difficult to predict the appearance of offspring.

The coat coloration recognized by registries and associations is point coloration, and it comes in a variety of colors. Some associations do not recognize certain colors, while others do. 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. The cats also enjoy water, and may swim on some occasions.