The Snowshoe is one of those breeds whose popularity is greater than its population. “Snowshoe” is a very common breed assigned to shelter cats advertised online—with the defining breed trait of “shorthaired cat in colourpoint with white”, it’s no wonder than many people think they own a Snowshoe. In reality, the pedigreed Snowshoe is a rare breed and one virtually unknown on the show bench. Developed in the 1960s in Philadelphia, USA, using white-footed kittens born in a litter of Siamese and domestic (American) shorthairs, the breed had a slow start and much of this early history remains clouded. Initial interest in the breed dropped off until a single breeder was left in 1977; TICA cites “poor record-keeping” and difficulties in maintaining the desired white patterns for this decline. However, the Snowshoe bounced back and had a sufficient breeding population to be accepted by TICA in 1994 and FIFe in 2004. Today, most Snowshoe breeders are European, particularly British.

They are not officially related to Ragdolls, although on the surface they appear to be a shorthaired variant. They have a semi-foreign type, with the heftiness of their domestic shorthair ancestors and the length of their Siamese ancestors. They are lean rather than cobby; “runners rather than weightlifters”, as FIFe describes them. They are accepted primarily in the mitted or tuxedo white pattern, with bicolours accepted in some organizations only.

Type & judging remarks
White pattern of great importance. Four white paws required in all cats. Definite contrast between point colour and white is preferred, with clarity and contrast preferred over hue. Patches of colour in white areas are acceptable. Mitteds are typically one-quarter white or less, while bi-colours are one-quarter to one-half. Bi-colours must have some white on the face, and less white is preferred over more white.