Felis catus
Snowshoe
Featured photosnowshoe.jpgThe Snowshoe is a pointed breed with distinctive white paws developed by Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty of Philadelphia in the 1960s from Siamese and American Shorthair crosses. The breed was further developed by Vikki Olander, who wrote the first standard. TICA recognized the Snowshoe in 1983; CFA has not granted championship status. The standard describes a moderate, medium-sized pointed cat with blue eyes, white facial markings, and white-gloved feet.
Quick facts
- Origin country
- United States (Philadelphia)
- Origin period
- 1960s (Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty; Siamese × American Shorthair); TICA recognition 1983
- Coat type
- Short
- Coat colors
- Seal Point and White, Blue Point and White, Chocolate Point and White, Lilac Point and White
- Size category
- Medium
- Average lifespan
- 14-20 years
- Recognition
- TICA 1983
Origin
Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty of Philadelphia began the Snowshoe programme in the 1960s after three Siamese kittens were born with white feet. She crossed Siamese with bicolour American Shorthairs to breed for the white-glove pattern. Breeder Vikki Olander further developed the breed and authored the first standard in the early 1970s. The combination of point colouration, blue eyes, white facial inverted-V blaze, and white-gloved feet distinguishes the Snowshoe from related pointed breeds.
Recognition
TICA granted the Snowshoe full championship status in 1983. CFA has accepted the Snowshoe for registration but has not granted championship status. GCCF and FIFe have not published Snowshoe standards. The breed is primarily shown in North America through TICA.
Standard
The TICA standard describes a medium-sized, modified-wedge-headed cat of moderate foreign type. The defining characteristics are the point colouration with blue eyes, the white inverted-V blaze on the face (not always present), and the white-gloved feet — white must cover the paws on all four legs. The body is intermediate between the Siamese and American Shorthair: not as elongated as the CFA Siamese, not as cobby as the American Shorthair. The coat is short, close-lying, and of medium texture. Point colours recognized include seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac, always with white gloves.
Sources & further reading (3)
- tica-standard — accessed 2026-04-30
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-04-30
- breed-club — accessed 2026-04-30
Frequently asked questions
When was the Snowshoe recognized?
TICA granted the Snowshoe championship status in 1983. CFA has accepted the breed for registration but has not granted championship status. GCCF and FIFe have not published Snowshoe standards.
How does the Snowshoe differ from the Birman?
Both the Snowshoe and Birman are pointed breeds with white-gloved feet, but they differ in origin and conformation. The Birman is a long-haired breed from France with a specific white-glove standard requiring the white to end in an even line across the front paws and extend to the hocks on the hind legs. The Snowshoe is a short-haired, moderate-type cat from the United States with white covering the paws and potentially an inverted-V facial blaze.
Is the Snowshoe breeding reliable?
The Snowshoe is noted for the difficulty of breeding to standard consistently. The white-glove gene requires precise expression — too little white results in no gloves; too much white produces excessive white lacking the point contrast. Both the bicolour spotting gene and the point colour gene must be present. Breeders describe the Snowshoe as requiring careful selection across multiple generations to maintain the standard characteristics.
