History of the breed
In 1960, Dorothy Hinds-Doherty, a professional breeder and raiser of Siamese cats, discovered in her next litter kittens with white “socks” on the tips of all four paws. This unusual color gave Dorothy the idea that she could start breeding just such a breed. And the breeder’s colleague, Vicky Olender, helped her with this. The goal was achieved by crossing individuals of short-haired breeds - American and Siamese.
So, by 1974, the Snowshoe began to be considered an experimental breed. And yet, despite this, the number of such cats did not grow. And three years later, Vicki Olender was the only one left in the United States. The battle for the right of the snowshoe to be considered a real breed lasted for another three years. More and more new breeders and just owners appeared.
And the cats themselves began to “earn” champion titles for themselves. Over time, purebred cats began to spread around the world, and the number of new cats in families grew steadily. But representatives of snowshu failed to become extremely popular. The main reason for this is the excessive difficulty in breeding the “ideal” sample.
General characteristics of the breed
What do snowshoes look like? What kind of character do these beauties have?
Appearance
Short-haired Snowshoes have a slightly long, but quite athletic body of medium size. The body of the animal is crowned with an almost triangular head, with rounded tops.
Attentive large eyes, widely spaced ears with rounded tips, and a tail tapering towards the end give cats additional charm. Pedigree cats usually weigh 3-5.5 kilograms.
The snowshu differs from ordinary representatives of the cat world by the presence of clear white spots on the chest, belly, and most importantly, on the face and paws.
Cats of this breed are also characterized by a spotted color.
In nature, snowshoes are more common, having the classic color of Siamese cats:
- blue point;
- seal point;
- tortoiseshell.
The fact is that it is quite difficult to breed cats of a different color.
It is noteworthy that the paw pads and even the nose of the animals are combined with the color of the coat.
If Snowshu are disproportionately built and have long hair, they do not have white socks on their paws and blue eyes - representatives of the breed are considered defective and are “rejected” by specialists.
Description of the breed
Snowshoe cats cannot be confused with representatives of any other breed. Their distinctive feature is white socks worn on their paws and white stripes decorating their muzzle and chest. Snowshu love to play. Their favorite pastime is hunting for toys and searching the apartment for all kinds of small objects. In addition, unlike most cats of other breeds, they love to swim in the bathtub. If you have children in your family, then you won’t find a better partner for their games.
Thai Snow Shoo
Let's take as a basis the fact that you have already decided that the Snowshoe is the breed you want. And you need just such a fluffy bundle of happiness. This is where the pitfalls of acquiring a breed emerge, which are reflected in names such as Thai Snowshoe. And now a little more detail.
There are not many snowshoe nurseries in our country. Therefore, fans of the breed strive to buy a kitten by any available means. Here lies the catch, because often, instead of snowshoes, people are sold mixed-breed Thai cats. These are the Thai snowshoes, which have nothing to do with the breed under discussion.
Therefore, when buying a kitten, follow the usual rules to avoid being scammed. First of all, ask for documents (pedigree, birth certificate) for the kitten. If everything is in order, examine the baby to assess his condition and class.
With white fur on its paws and an inverted “V” shaped marking on its face, the animal is show class. The breed class is distinguished by the shape of the mark on the muzzle. The simplest is the pet class, without white marks.
If you don’t want to understand classes and study documents for an animal, raise a Thai Snowshoe. In any case, you will have a cute and beautiful pet at home. But you’ll have to forget about your exhibition career.
Character
As for the snowshu’s character, it can rightfully be called angelic. Calmness, submissiveness and obedience, which is generally unusual for cats, makes it, as has been repeatedly noted by a variety of people who have ever encountered a snowshoe, incredibly similar to... a person!
Among fans of this breed, there has long been an opinion that cats are not aware that they belong to the cat family and, accordingly, behave with people on equal terms: relaxed and calm.
It is worth noting the devotion of representatives of this breed. The person chosen as the owner of such a cat will not be afraid of loneliness: the snowshu will always follow him, truly supporting him in both sorrow and joy. The cats of this breed themselves cannot stand loneliness at all, and when the owner of the house appears, they will definitely try to “pour out their souls” in a quiet and unobtrusive voice.
Snowshoes are very curious animals. Therefore, the habit of “looking down” on the world around them does not have a self-affirming, but rather a purely cognitive function.
To find out if a snowshoe is right for you, you just need to honestly answer the question - can you give this loving cat enough attention and happily devote some time to communicating with her, without leaving her alone for a long time? A positive answer will mean that this breed is ideal for you. If there are also children in the house who love animals, then choose Snowshoe without any doubt. Usually kids become very attached to cats of this breed. If, however, the Snowshoe kitten is often left without company, it is recommended to get him a “buddy”, preferably of the same breed, so that they do not have to be bored alone.
Personality of Snow Shoe cats
These pets are as unusual in character as they are in appearance. You won't get bored with them. They are very curious and energetic.
Although these cats are related to the Siamese, whose voice is very loud and shrill, they themselves are distinguished by a gentle and melodious meow. Some of them don't make any sounds at all.
Most of these pets love to communicate with people. Most often, they choose one owner, whom they follow everywhere, however, they also like to communicate with other people and animals.
They will even be very happy to learn commands and tricks together with the dogs.
If you can treat such a pet with due attention and do not leave home for too long, if you like the company of cats, the Snowshoe is for you.
These cats are also suitable pets for families with children.
Rules of care and nutrition
The Snowshoe's favorite habitat is cabinets, shelves, and in general all possible heights from which one can see things that interest the cat.
Care
A high degree of curiosity forces representatives of this breed to poke their noses into all possible places, even if this is strictly prohibited by their beloved owners, and also quickly teaches cats to open cabinet doors, just doors, and in special cases even the refrigerator door will not stop them.
This fluffy angel can deftly grab the little thing he likes and hide it in a secluded corner where it will not be easy for the owner to reach.
After such an “incident”, confidently head towards the sound of water: snowshoes love flowing water. To prevent “stealing” from becoming your pet’s favorite pastime, buy him a sufficient number of interesting toys, because representatives of this breed, like their Siamese ancestors, are very fond of active games with objects. Trying to get something they like, animals will do anything.
It is worth taking this circumstance into account when planning to place such a charming kitten at home. All fragile and especially valuable items must be securely hidden in the depths of the house or apartment. Dangerous elements in a home with a cat are poisonous plants and open windows or vents. It is not recommended to let your Snowshoe cat go for walks outside.
Like trained dogs, these animals can please you by bringing the item you need in their teeth while waiting for the next throw.
And if you want to please your pet, just organize water treatments for him in a bathtub filled with rubber toys. The pet will be very grateful to you.
The Snowshoe needs to be thoroughly combed twice a week to clean its coat. To avoid periodontitis, it is recommended that your cat brush his teeth. If this does not work at home, visit the veterinarian once a month, who will carry out a delicate procedure.
Nutrition
Like any other cats, Snowshoes need high-quality, balanced and healthy nutrition. It is strictly forbidden to feed them human food, so to speak, “from the table.” The number of feedings per day for adults should not exceed three times, for kittens - five.
Maintenance, care, health
Snowshu are lovers of sitting on high ground, and their goal is not to control the surrounding territory, like other cats, but to observe their owners or look for something interesting to play with. In addition, they are overly curious, and will not miss a single crack where they can stick a muzzle or, in extreme cases, a paw. For this reason, it is recommended to keep all doors closed.
Snowshoe care is standard - cleaning ears and eyes, trimming claws. The cat needs to be brushed once a week; during the shedding period, this should be done two to three times a week.
Health
Representatives of the Snowshoe breed in most cases are distinguished by excellent health.
And yet, from time to time you can observe strabismus or a tail defect. Deficiencies in diet can lead to oral diseases such as tooth decay and stomatitis.
But just like in all other cases, a proper balanced diet, taking vitamins and regular dental checks will help your snowshoe avoid health problems.
Cats of this breed live quite a long time - 14-19 years.
Reviews of Snowshoe cats
- Marina.
My Platosha is a truly beautiful fiend of hell. Here I am not exaggerating at all - as long as this cat lives in our house, I walk around with my hands scratched to nothing.
You can't even feed him normally - he immediately rushes to bite and scratch his hands. The result is that I just throw pieces of food at him from afar.
He likes to take revenge, which he does by doing his business in shoes that then smell very strongly of cat urine.
Of course, I won’t throw him away or give him away anywhere, however, I want to have another cat that I can pet and cuddle. Here is a photo of my Snowshoe cat.
- Olga.
I chose my Snowshoe cat from a specialized cattery based on a photo. The kitten settled in our house at the age of three months, and everyone immediately loved him.
He has an amazing temperament - he can be a cat, a dog and a parrot at the same time. He constantly chirps like a bird, he is gentle and completely tame, he always sits in your arms and in any way shows that he urgently needs to be stroked.
He won’t fit into the bathtub, but he likes to lie in the sink, with a thin stream of water pouring on top of him. Eats ready-made food.
Snowshoe nurseries
Snowshoe kittens are in ever-increasing demand. But there are still not enough monokenteries engaged in breeding the breed to fully satisfy the demand. This applies to both Russia and Ukraine and Belarus.
The only snowshoe nursery in Russia that breeds animals of the highest category is located in Moscow. It's called “Snow Angel”. The owners of the nursery, the owners of the nursery, have all the documents confirming the purebred cats and cats and compliance with the standards.
There are no official nurseries registered in Minsk and Kyiv.
Breeding a quality kitten of this breed
- a task exclusively for a professional, and not for a beginner. For an animal to meet all the parameters, it takes many years of painstaking and hard work, the patience of the breeder and unquenchable faith and hope for success. Therefore, before buying a Snow Shu kitten, we strongly advise you to pay attention to the situation in the nursery and familiarize yourself with the living conditions of the parents, their pedigree, and so on. In Russia, Snow Shoes are not yet so common, so potential buyers should beware of scammers who fraudulently offer non-purebred animals. It is very difficult to independently determine the purebredness of Snow Shu kittens based on a number of characteristics such as white socks, Siamese color, V-shaped white spot on the face, etc. Snow Shu kitten not only in Russia, but all over the world, meeting all standards, FOUND EXTREMELY RARE and only from certain breeders, because the birth of such a unique animal requires experience in selection, patience and, of course, luck. The most important thing is to pay attention to the person who is breeding. Selling Snow Shu kittens is a responsible and very difficult task, so a caring and serious breeder must have all the necessary documents for the nursery, guaranteeing the breed, and information about the breed, about the contents inside and out. This information will later be very useful for future kitten owners.
