Even though the Snowshoe cat breed wasn’t officially developed until the middle of the 20th century, Siamese kittens with white feet and white markings on their muzzles have occurred naturally for as long as the breed has been part of human history.
In the 1960s, Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, a Siamese breeder in Philadelphia noticed that three kittens – all from the same litter – developed Snowshoe markings instead of solid color points. Since white feet are not acceptable according to the Siamese breed standard, she decided to begin a brand-new line. Thus, the Snowshoe cat breed began.
When the white-footed kittens reached maturity, they were crossed with American Shorthair cats with tuxedo markings. At first, the resulting kittens were called Silver Lace cats. Others, including cat breeder Vikki Olander took notice, and the white markings which were originally viewed as Siamese faults became the hallmarks of a wonderful new breed that combines all the best traits of its founding members.
The American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) accepted the Snowshoe in 1982 and granted championship status in 1990. The International Cat Association (TICA) granted Snowshoe cats official recognition in 1993. In the UK, Snowshoe cats attained full breed status with The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in 2013.
Today, the Snowshoe cat breed enjoys recognition worldwide. Show quality examples of the Snowshoe cat breed are relatively rare since it can be difficult to produce kittens that carry the recessive genes for both colorpoint and the piebald pattern that gives Snowshoes their distinctive appearance. It’s easier to find pet quality Snowshoe cats with either too much or too little light to qualify for showing.