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Addictional informatio
n (Wiki):
The Snowshoe is a rare and relatively
new breed of cat originating in the
United States of America. Snowshoes were
first seen in Philadelphia, when a
breeder's Siamese cat gave birth to
three kittens with the pattern. The
breeder, Dorothy Hinds-Daugherty, began
to promote the cat and began a breeding
program for them. When Hinds-Daugherty
left the program, Vikki Olander began
working with the cats and recruited new
breeders, as well as working towards
full recognition with cat associations.
Despite having existed for 45 years,
Snowshoes are rare due to the difficulty
of reproducing exactly the coat markings.
These are based on recessive genes for
the color points and on the co-dominant
but variably-expressed piebald pattern
gene, making it difficult to predict the
appearance of offspring.
The coat coloration recognized by
registries and associations is point
coloration, and it comes in a variety of
colors. Some associations do not
recognize certain colors, while others
do. Snowshoe cats have an affectionate
and docile disposition. Due to this,
they do not do well under circumstances
where they are left alone for long
periods of time. Snowshoes are also very
vocal, though their voices are not as
loud as the Siamese, a cat found in
their breed heritage. They are noted as
being very intelligent and have the
ability to learn tricks and open doors.
The cats also enjoy water, and may swim
on some occasions. |
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