This was an era when a number of new breeds were being created or discovered. This is a fairly rare breed (6/10 where 10 = the most rare, on my estimation).
After the creation of the breed, its development included breeding Snowshoe to Snowshoe.
Breeders brave enough to take on the Snowshoe challenge find that the cat pays back the effort in love and affection. Anyone looking for an aloof, standoffish cat need not apply for Snowshoe ownership, fanciers claim that Snowshoes don’t realize that they’re cats; they consider themselves people. They love to touch and be touched. Very intelligent, they can be taught a number of tricks. Snowshoes are also known for their fascination with water and on occasion will climb into the tub for a swim, as long as it’s their idea. While not as loud or vocal as the Siamese, Snowshoes are never at a loss for words.
One reason that the Snowshoe has not attracted more breeders in the 25 years of his existence is that blending all the genetic elements together to create the perfect Snowshoe isn’t easy. Four traits in particular make it difficult. The first is the inverted ‘V’ facial pattern that should extend from the mouth to the whisker tufts above the eyes. This pattern is governed by the piebald white spotting gene symbolized (S). Because this gene is incompletely dominant, if a cat inherits two copies of the gene, he will have larger areas of white than a cat with one copy of the gene. The effect, however, is not consistent, and other genes can affect the white areas. It’s difficult to predict how this gene will express itself, or predict which kittens will inherit two copies, so regulating the gene is a real challenge.
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