Snowshoe
Snowshoe
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Snowshoe
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Snowshoe
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| A white-footed breed made in America This new breed resulted from a desire to combine into one cat the points of the Siamese and the gloved paws of the Birman. It was created in the United States in the 1960s by Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, a breeder in Philadelphia, by crossing the Siamese with the bicolor American Shorthair. 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. |
| Rather docile, quiet of voice. Vigorous, alert, intelligent. Enjoys the company of its owner; not a loner. Also striking is the Snowshoe's sparkling and affectionate personality. |
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Head
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Head : The head is as wide as it is long, slightly rounded, of medium size, and in good proportion and visual balance with the rest of the body. Cheekbones are set high. The nose should be of good length, neither extremely broad nor pointed, and in proportion with the rest of the head. The forehead should be a flat plane rising slightly above the muzzle giving the appearance of two distinct, parallel planes. No less than the width of an eye between the eyes. When the whiskers are smoothed back, the underlying bone structure is evident. Allowances are to be made for stud jowls in older males. |
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Eyes
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Large and
walnut shaped with rounded end larger in diameter than the almond eye, but
still with greater length than width. Should be slanted in line with the
flow from the nose to base of ear. Bright, sparkling blue which stands out
against the contrasting color of the points. Ears: Medium in size, alert, slightly rounded at the tip, and broad at the base. Set forward from the outside of the head giving a continuing line from the head to the ears. |
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Neck
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Moderately long. |
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Body
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The rectangular body should be of medium size; females may be slightly smaller than males, but not frail or dainty in appearance. The body should be medium boned, well muscled, powerful and heavily built. Long, but not too extreme. Neck length should be medium, in proportion with the head and body. |
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Paw
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Proportionate to the body. Medium bone and muscle structure. Medium-sized, oval paws. |
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Tail
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Thick at the base, tapering slightly and gradually to the end. Length should be medium to long, appearing to be at least as long as the body and should be measured along the back leg. Should be in proportion with the overall size of the cat. |
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Coat
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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. |
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Fault
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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". |
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Character
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This extremely lively cat with a strong personality is 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. |
| Generally Healthy and vigorous. Breed is not well known yet. |