Adopting a Snowshoe Cat

In this article I am going to write about the Traditional Snowshoe cat. I became aware of the Traditional Snowshoe cat when I went to Petsmart and saw one. The first Snowshoe cat originated by crossing a Siamese cat with a Bicolor American Shorthair. Dorothy Hinds Daughtery, who owned the Kensiijng Cattery in Philadelphia, Pa., was the original breeder. The very first litter of Snowshoe kittens were three in quantity. Dorothy Daughtery passed the Snowshoe breed to Vikki Orlander who resided in Norfolk Virginia.

The Traditional Snowshoe can be described by its short hair, four white feet that extend over its ankles, and a white "v" shaped marking over the nose and muzzle. The head is shaped like a modified triangle. Its body is muscular but not overly so. It has the conformation of a runner. The white pattern should not cover more than two-thirds of the body. Males are larger in size than females; they can weigh as much as 12 pounds. It is considered a medium to large cat with bright blue eyes. The eyes are oval in shape when the cat is undisturbed but when alerted, the eyes are walnut in shape. The name of Snowshoe originated because of the combination of points and white patterns on its feet.

The Snowshoe is popular in America and all over the world. The American Snowshoe gained recognition by The American Cat Association in 1974. Cat Fanciers Association saw the Snowshoe as an untried breed. The Snowshoe gained popularity in 1977 after a lack of interest between 1960 and 1977. The CFF helped the Snowshoe gain a championship level at their semi-annual meeting in 1982.

Maia Sornson helped the breed gain recognition in the CFF, ACFA and TICA and is dealing with the Cat Fanciers association to have the Snowshoe acknowledged by them.

The Snowshoe's personality lives up to the Siamese name. They are very gregarious, love human contact, enjoy sleeping with their owners as well as being petted, and are very intelligent. In fact they relate to humans so well they think of themselves as being a person.

It has a light faint voice unlike the loud and raucous Siamese. It also has an interest in water and likes to watch it move in the toilet, much as my cat Chester does. My Siamese cat, Chester, likes to watch the water come out of the faucet in the bathroom.

The genetic defects of this breed are small but when considering breeding the Traditional Snowshoe, the amount of white fur is hard to manage. The longevity of the Snowshoe Siamese is 10 to 12 years

Consider adopting a Snowshoe cat, they make great pets. They make a converstion piece when you consider their unusual markings.