The Snowshoe cat is a great family companion with a beautiful appearance.
It was developed by crossbreeding a Siamese with American shorthair breeds. It inherits some of the best traits from both of its parents.
This cat’s coat is short to medium in length. It’s shiny and smooth and doesn't shed much. This means that it’s pretty easy to maintain a Snowshoe cat’s coat.
All these cats are born white and have blue eyes. Their coat patterns start to appear within a couple of weeks after their birth.
Let’s see what coat colors are possible with this breed, as well as which one of them are the most common ones, and which are harder to find.
1. Blue Point
Just like its Siamese parent, the Snowshoe cat has pointed coat coloring. This means that this cat’s tail, legs, ears, and head are darker than the rest of its body. The coat base is light-colored.
The blue point is one of the most common ones with the Snowshoe breed. Cats with this color have points in a blueish-grayish hue. The contrast between their body and the points creates a very appealing look.
In feline terminology, the gray coat color is often referred to as ‘blue,' which is actually a diluted variation of black.
2. Seal Point
The seal point coloring is another very common one with the Snowshoe breed.
This coloring refers to darker brown points in these cats. As the Happy Cat Site explains, cats with this coat coloring have a pale cream or fawn body.
This base color is evenly colored and warm in tone. A cat’s belly and the underside of its chest are almost white.
The seal point Snowshoe may even appear to be black. However, when you see this cat in direct sunlight, you’ll easily notice its points are actually brown.
Together with Snowshoe cats, other breeds that can spot this coat coloring are the Siamese, Birman, Balinese, and British Shorthair.
3. Chocolate Point
This coat pattern is harder to find compared to the blue and seal point varieties.
A Snowshoe cat with a chocolate coat pattern has a creamy or ivory base coat color. Its points have a warm chocolate brown color.
According to the Langford Vets, the chocolate coat coloring in felines is caused by a mutation in the brown gene.
The B allele is responsible for normal coloration, while the mutant b allele leads to a chocolate hue. This mutation is recessive, meaning that a chocolate coloration requires two copies of the b allele.
Check Also: All You Need To Know About Chocolate Point Ragdoll Cat
4. Cinnamon Point
Another beautiful, yet not so common coat color with the Snowshoe breed is the cinnamon point.
The cinnamon is a warm light brown color. Both the nose leather and the paw pads in cats with this coat coloring are cinnamon-brown.
5. Lilac Point
Just like the cinnamon point, the lilac pattern is another rare coat color in the Snowshoe breed. Its rarity makes it even more appealing!
The lilac coat color is a diluted variation, stemming from a diluted chocolate hue in felines.
The Cattitude Daily points out that lilac coloring is also known as lavender and is one of the rarest coat colors.
Snowshoe cats with this coat coloring aren’t actually purple, but have more of a pastel variation of grey and light brown.
6. Red Point
Anyone looking for a striking, impressive coat coloring in their future pet will be delighted with the red point Snowshoe cat!
This cat isn't red, but has more of an orange hue on its face, ears, tail, and feet.
Contrasted with a pale base, the red coloring indeed makes this cat look outstanding.
7. Fawn Point
A Snowshoe cat with fawn points is also not a common sight.
This cat has a pinkish to beige color. Fawn is actually a lighter lilac coat coloring.
It may be difficult to distinguish the fawn Snowshoe cat from a lilac one, since these two colorings are quite similar.
8. Tortoiseshell Pattern
The Snowshoe cat can also feature a tortoiseshell coat pattern. According to the Spruce Pets, this coat pattern looks like the shell of a tortoise.
Most commonly, cats with this pattern feature a combination of ginger and black in their coat. But, they can also have colors such as gold, cream, or orange. These colors can appear in either brindled or patchy patterns on the cat's body.
If you encounter a Snowshoe with the tortie pattern, it’s almost certain that it will be a female cat. Learn more about this phenomenon in our guide to the female tortoiseshell cat personality.
9. Tabby Pattern
Finally, the tabby is another pattern present with the Snowshoe breed.
This coat pattern is possible both with purebred felines and hybrids. The most recognized trait of the tabby pattern is an “M” shaped marking on a cat’s head.
There are a couple of different tabby coat patterns that can be seen in the Snowshoe breed.
The classic tabby pattern is created of whorls on a cat’s sides. The mackerel tabby pattern features solid or broken stripes on the cat’s body and rings around its tails and legs.
The spotted tabby pattern, as the name suggests, marks a pattern made of bands of spots. Similarly, the patched tabby displays patches distributed across its body.
The Fédération Internationale Féline recognizes both tortoiseshell and tabby patterns in the Snowshoe breed.
On the contrary, the International Cat Association only recognizes pointed colors.
Final Thoughts
The Snowshoe cat colors are diverse and indeed beautiful.
The contrast between a paler base and darker points makes this breed just so beautiful and different from the rest.
The additional interesting thing about these cats is that they all have a unique coat pattern! This is a kind of fingerprint in humans – something that’s specific to each of us.
While searching for a Snowshoe kitten, most likely you’ll encounter the seal and blue point coat coloring. These are the most common ones, while others like lilac, red, and fawn are more challenging to find.
Finally, it’s possible to conclude that this cat is wonderful in all coat colors.
For all of you looking for this cat with a pointed coat pattern, I suggest you take a look at our list of reputable Snowshoe cat breeders.
