I think my cat is a Snowshoe purebreed...

santa_nero

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I found Paul in a shelter and though I know that finding a purebreed is rare I’ve seen a lot of matching characteristics of the Snowshoe breed in him.

I hope someone here can answer my question. Thanks!

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Willowy

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He's gorgeous! 😻 And look at those paws, he's gonna be big!

The breed is nearly defunct in the US, so he's probably not purebred. That pattern is rare-ish but not unheard of in the general cat population.

Did the shelter have any of his siblings?
 

jefferd18

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He sure looks like one, and yes, one can find purebred cats and dogs in shelters, sometimes due to health, fiances, and unfortunately, death.

He is a gorgeous cat as Snowshoes are incline to be. :)
 
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santa_nero

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He's gorgeous! 😻 And look at those paws, he's gonna be big!

The breed is nearly defunct in the US, so he's probably not purebred. That pattern is rare-ish but not unheard of in the general cat population.

Did the shelter have any of his siblings?
Nope, I don’t know. He was a stray cat until the shelter picked him up.
 
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santa_nero

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He sure looks like one, and yes, one can find purebred cats and dogs in shelters, sometimes due to health, fiances, and unfortunately, death.

He is a gorgeous cat as Snowshoes are incline to be. :)
thanks for your comment! :)
(in my heart he is a snowshoe)
 

lutece

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Paul is so handsome! I would describe him as a seal point and white domestic shorthair.

The colorpoint gene, responsible for pointed "Siamese" coloration, originally came from the Siamese breed about 70 years ago. At this time, the colorpoint gene is widespread through the domestic cat gene pool, and doesn't indicate recent ancestry from any specific breed. A seal point and white cat, like Paul, is genetically a black and white cat plus two copies of the colorpoint gene. Seal point and white is a fairly common color combination in domestic cats, and we do see lots of "Snowshoe lookalikes" posted on this site.

Purebred cats of other breeds do sometimes show up in shelters and rescues. However, as W Willowy mentioned, there are almost no Snowshoe breeders in the United States at this time... this breed has almost completely disappeared. So the likelihood that Paul would have Snowshoe breed ancestry is extremely small. It's most likely that he is simply a seal point and white domestic cat that resembles a Snowshoe. That doesn't make him any less special, however... he's still a gorgeous cat :)
 

Kieka

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I'd agree that he is likely a lovely wonderful cat with lucky genetics. I also have two who are snowshoe lookalikes and frequently see them pop up in rescues and foster homes. It's a lovely coat pattern but not unique to the breed. One of my lookalikes is a better visual knock off while the other has more of the "breed characteristics". Which behaviors tied to breed is actually highly misleading in cats but can be fun to read about.
 

jefferd18

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Paul is so handsome! I would describe him as a seal point and white domestic shorthair.



Purebred cats of other breeds do sometimes show up in shelters and rescues. However, as W Willowy mentioned, there are almost no Snowshoe breeders in the United States at this time... this breed has almost completely disappeared. So the likelihood that Paul would have Snowshoe breed ancestry is extremely small. It's most likely that he is simply a seal point and white domestic cat that resembles a Snowshoe. That doesn't make him any less special, however... he's still a gorgeous cat :)


Just looked up breeders for Snowshoes, seems to be several in every state.
 
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