Snowshoe Cat

History
A rare and uncommon breed, Snowshoe cats are relatively new as compared to the other breeds. Originated from United States of America, Snowshoes though have existed for the past 45 years, are infrequent because of the difficulty of producing exactly the same coat markings. The unique color marking and pattern on the coat is due to recessive genes, thereby making it difficult to predict the appearance of offspring, at the time of breeding. The feline is extremely sociable and talkative and qualifies as an ideal companion. In the following lines, we have provided information about the history, appearance and personality of Snowshoe cats.

History
The Snowshoe cat breed was developed in the late 1960s by Siamese breeder Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty of Philadelphia. The cat produced three litters - each of them had unique markings, consisting of white points and feet. She, then, crossed American Shorthair with a Siamese to produce a sturdy, pointed cat with white markings on the face, chest and feet. She named them Snowshoe, because of their white boots. Though Dorothy tried to promote the Snowshoe at local cats' shows, it was of no avail. Eventually, she abandoned the breeding program, which was later taken up by Vikki Olander of Norfolk, Virginia. In 1974 CFF and ACA accepted the Snowshoe as an experimental breed. However, Olander was the last breeder of the Snowshoe in the United States. Later, Jim Hoffman and Georgia Kuhnell joined Olander to keep the breed alive. Snowshoe obtained championship status from CFF in 1983 and from ACFA in 1990. Three years later, the feline was recognized by the International Cat Association

Appearance
Medium-sized cat, Snowshoes are powerful but not bulky in terms of weight. Talking about their facial features, Snowshoe cats have moderately wedge-shaped head that usually has black markings with large ears. The cat dons sparking and expressive eyes blue eyes and has a coat that is short-haired, mostly in white and gray color. Most of the snowshoes kittens are born all white. It is only after almost three weeks of age that their color and marking starts appearing. Snowshoe is found in the usual Siamese colors, most commonly seal, chocolate, lilac, and blue in two patterns, mitted and bicolor. It is also found in red (flame), cream, cinnamon, and fawn.

Personality
Snowshoes are playful and affectionate cats. They love to touch and be touched. Much unlike the standard norm, Snowshoes has a fascination for water and love to play in it. They are extremely vocal and talkative. Though Snowshoes are friendly to everyone in the household, there would be one person in the family whom these cats would be extremely close to. Another distinctive characteristic of Snowshoes is their attention seeking nature. They want to be around people all the time and hate to be left alone for long periods of time. All in all, Snowshoes are sweet tempered, lively, playful, easy going, intelligent and adaptable cats.