A blue-eyed shorthair with dark points, four white feet and a white V on its face.
The Snowshoe gets its name from its white feet: it looks as if it walks on snowshoes. It has a dark face, ears, legs and tail, blue eyes and often a white V on its face. It is active, clever and sweet, and talks in a soft little voice. The breed is rare, because the white markings are hard to breed.
Sweet and devoted. It often picks one favourite person, but is friendly to everyone.
Likes being stroked and staying close, but is more a busy companion than a lap cat.
Loves games, fetch and climbing, and stays playful into old age.
Curious and active: it wants something to do every day.
It likes to chat, but in a soft, melodic voice. Much quieter than a Siamese.
Clever and quick to learn. It learns fetch, tricks and sometimes even how to open doors.
Most are open and friendly, but some are a little shy with visitors at first.
Gets on well with children who are calm and gentle with it.
Usually gets on with a dog that is friendly to cats.
Usually fits in well in a home with more cats, and is often happy with a buddy.
Does not like long days alone. A second cat helps if you are out during the day.
Lives happily indoors, as long as it gets enough play, climbing and company.
A Snowshoe is just a Siamese with white socks.
No. It is sturdier, has a broader head and a softer voice. And its white markings are its own: four white feet, ideally with a white V on the face.
The Snowshoe is related to the Ragdoll or the Birman.
They only look alike. The Snowshoe comes from Siamese and American shorthair cats in Philadelphia, says Britain's GCCF.
Cats never like water.
Many Snowshoes do. They often play with running water, paddle in a bowl, and some even go for a swim.
In the 1960s Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, a Siamese breeder in Philadelphia, found three kittens with four white feet in a litter. She crossed them with a black-and-white shorthair and then back to Siamese. That is how the white V on the face came about. The breed almost vanished, until a few breeders built it up again.
In Philadelphia, three kittens with four white feet are born in a litter of Siamese.
The kittens are crossed with a black-and-white shorthair and then back to Siamese. The white V on the face appears.
Breeder Vikki Olander writes the first breed standard. Two American associations give the breed experimental status.
Only four Snowshoes are registered and Olander is the last breeder in America. The breed almost disappears.
Breeders ask TICA and America's ACFA to accept the breed as experimental.
The ACFA gives the Snowshoe championship status. Later that year the first Snowshoe becomes a grand champion.
TICA recognises the Snowshoe, around 1993 or 1994: the sources differ.
The European federation FIFe fully recognises the Snowshoe.
FIFe registers only 36 Snowshoes this year. It remains one of the rarest breeds.
A medium-sized, firm and agile cat with a short coat, always blue eyes and four white feet. It is 'a runner, not a weightlifter'. Its colour and white take about two years to finish.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Seal point(n 05 33)
Blue point(a 05 33)
Chocolate point(b 05 33)
Lilac point(c 05 33)
Seal tortie point(f 05 33)
Seal tabby point(n 05 21 33)Britain's GCCF also recognises caramel and apricot points. America's ACFA allows only seal and blue.
A Snowshoe always has points, blue eyes and four white feet. Solid kittens and points without white do turn up in litters; FIFe and the GCCF register them for breeding, but they are not shown. Smoke, silver and golden are not in the FIFe or GCCF colour lists, and WCF rules out silver and golden.
Snowshoe kittens are born all white. The dark points appear after a few weeks and keep darkening for up to two years.
The breed was first called Silver Laces.
In 1977 only four Snowshoes had been registered. The breed very nearly disappeared.
In 2024 FIFe registered only 36 Snowshoes across Europe. If you see one, you are lucky.
No two Snowshoes have exactly the same white markings.
No study has looked at how long Snowshoes live. Most sources say that with good care they often reach 14 years or more.
Small stones in the bladder. In a large American study they turned up more often in Snowshoes, but that was based on only 3 cats. A cat that struggles to pee needs a vet the same day.
How it is found: No DNA test. The vet checks the urine and can advise on food.
According to Britain's GCCF, PKD has been seen in the breed; how often is not known. Small cysts slowly grow in the kidneys, so over time they work less well.
How it is found: An ultrasound scan of both parents' kidneys.
The heart muscle thickens, so the heart pumps less well. It occurs in many breeds; there are no figures for the Snowshoe.
How it is found: No DNA test for this breed. A heart scan by a specialist.
Plaque and sore gums can hurt and loosen teeth. It is common in cats, and Snowshoes are said to be a little prone to it.
How it is found: No DNA test. Regular tooth brushing and dental checks at the vet.
Brushing once a week with a rubber mitt or soft brush is enough. Its short coat has no thick undercoat.
Play together every day, and give it puzzle toys and a tall cat tree. It likes to sit up high and look around.
Feed a good complete cat food and match the amount to how active it is, so it does not get too heavy.
A Snowshoe is not hypoallergenic. It sheds moderately, mostly when the seasons change.
Company matters most to it. If you are out a lot, keep two cats, so it does not get bored or lonely.
Checked on 22 October 2026
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