The Official SnowCub Breed Standard
General:
The SnowCub cat is a completely domestic breed which should appear as close as possible to a miniaturized version of the wild Snow Leopard. The cat is extremely large and muscular, intelligent
and curious, yet gentle to the point of being easygoing and cuddley. Traits distinctive to this breed
are large feet ideally possessed of more than four toes on each foot; a glittered coat of which each
individual hair shaft possesses a hollow portion - the greater the length of the hollow portion, the
more desirable; extremely large size; exceptionally long thick tail; a semi longhaired coat patterned
in leopard like spots which are ideally large and rosetted; and the overall appearance of a wild
rather than a domestic cat.
Head:
A broad and modified wedge with well rounded contours, and slightly longer than it is wide.
Muzzle is broad and full with prominent whisker pads and strong chin. Brow is heavy and
rounded and cheeks are high and broad. In profile the head curves gently from forehead to
nose. Jowls will be present in adult males.
Ears:
Small to medium in size and set more to the sides than on top of the head. They should be wide
at the base, and slightly rounded at the tip.
Eyes:
Large and expressive, almond shaped with a fairly wide and slightly oblique set into the head.
Color should be rich and bright with no preference to be given among color varieties;
blue, turquoise, green, yellow or gold.
Neck:
Thick and muscular, short to moderate in length and appearing proportionate to the body.
Body:
Strong and very well muscled, long and substantial. A belly flap or "primordial pouch" of extra
flesh carried under the belly area is especially desirable.
Legs:
Well boned, thick and strong. Rear legs are longer than front, adding to the appearance of
a powerful, lithe and agile wild cat.
Feet:
Large and well furred. Once fully established, This breed will be required to be polydactyl,
carrying more than four toes on each foot. While non polydactyl individual cats may
still be used in breeding programs and especially so during the establishing of the breed, cats
attaining to show status will eventually all possess the necessary "double paws".
Tail:
Long, thick and heavily furred. There is no such thing as a tail "too long" in this breed.
A small kink which does not detract from the appearance of the tail shall not be penalized.
Coat:
Medium to long hair, non matting and plushy soft to the touch. Glitter is required for show
status, and is defined by a hollow portion of each hair shaft, giving the appearance of
a "pearled car" in bright light.
Color and Pattern:
A whitish base color with contrasting spots which will preferably be rosetted or two toned.
Seal lynx, seal mink, seal sepia, silver, blue, and "silver snow", are the genetic colorations
that typically produce this appearance, and there is no preference among them as long as
the cat resembles the wild Snow Leopard in it's coloring, contrast, and pattern.
A "Golden SnowCub" in various shades of brown, mahogany, and gold will sometimes
be used in breeding programs, but whether these cats will eventually attain to show status
remains to be determined. There is no color class distinction in showing this breed, and
separate color classes will only be created in the event that the Golden SnowCub comes to
attain to show status. In that event, there will be two color classes; one for the
Classic SnowCub, and one for the Golden Snowcub. During the establishing of the breed,
bi-colour and mitted cats will be acceptable, especially if they possess the desirable traits
needed to set breed type
Breed Development:
In 1995, Terry Thistlethwaite initiated an interest in the development
of a large, long coated cat with a wild look, rosetted leopard spots and a
glittered coat. Over the next several years she worked with a number of
breeders to establish a family of spotted and longcoated cats, focusing
primarily on the "snow" colors reminiscent of the wild Snow Leopard.
By 2005, it became increasingly apparent that there were characteristics Terry
wanted to bring into the breed that would necessitate adding other pure breeds and mixed breeds to the
gene pool, and thus the basis for the SnowCub breed was created. Using Terry's purebred longcoated male,
Sugar Daddy of Avondell as a foundation sire, she went first to the beautiful long coated polydactyl mixed breed,
Avondell Miss Mittens to bring in huge size and and the dexterity of extra toes. Through internet exposure, the
fledgling breed attracted the interest of several other cat breeders, and and by 2008, kittens possessing the attributes
required to be called "SnowCubs" were being born. In 2010, the breed is still considered to be in it's infancy, and
foundation breedings are still being done to both expand the gene pool and fully establish the Snow Leopard "type"
and breed traits the SnowCub is known for. The breed has entered Experimental status in the all breed registry, and
Registration status will be sought this year. Everyone involved with the SnowCub is excited to be a part of the
launching of this web site, and we are all looking forward to a bright future for this wonderful young breed!
