The Snowshoe Cat: a Rare Breed

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     The Snowshoe is another breed of cat that came late on the scene, originally cross-bred between a Siamese and American Shorthairs during the 1960s in the United States. While they come in all of the familiar colors of the Siamese, chocolate, blue, seal and lilac, they can also be mitted and bicolor. However, unlike Siamese, these cats, which look so much like their Siamese ancestors, have very distinctive white mitted paws, something you've never seen in a true Siamese. The first kittens of this breed came about when two Siamese cats owned by Dorothy Hinds Daugherty of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, gave birth to three kittens that had absolutely striking white feet. It was this trait that gave the cats their name Snowshoes. They have become increasingly popular in the United States as well as the world over.

These adorable animals have been labeled with a plethora of adjectives, all of them good, and make wonderfully delightful, social companions. Because they haven't been bred to meet any extreme demands, nor been plagued with inbreeding, which is often done to produce certain traits in animals, they remain healthy with no inherent health problems that can spring up later, aside from the typical diseases that you would normally guard your cat against.

Vigorous, intelligent cats, should you decide to adopt a Snowshoe cat, if there isn't someone home most of the time with them, you should probably adopt two, or have another pet with them, so that they have someone to play with throughout the day. Snowshoes don't like being left alone for long periods of time. But don't mistake being highly active and alert for being high strung, because Snowshoes are not. They get along wonderfully well with other animals so you wouldn't have to worry about bringing them into your home if you already have a pet or two.

One of the things that make a Snowshoe cat even more different from your ordinary feline is that they love running water. Turn on a faucet when most other cats are standing nearby and you are likely to see them scampering off in a big hurry to get away from the water. They have a soft, melodic voice and can be talkers. They just love to be around people and are perfect people companions. Like most cats, you should keep your Snowshoe Cat indoors to keep it safe from urban dangers and to help keep it free of parasites such as fleas, ticks and other pests that can literally sap the life out of your beloved pet. It only makes sense that as pet owners, we should take the utmost care to keep our cats and other pets safe from unnecessary dangers.

Snowshoes not only have distinctive white paws, but also have white markings on their stomach, chest, and face, and bright blue eyes that set off their adorable Lone Ranger mask that will steal your heart away.