For the First Time in History, Israel’s Legendary Kanaani Cats Arrive in the United States

For the First Time in History, the Legendary Kanaani Cats Cross the Ocean and Arrive in the United States — Registered with ARBC, and TICA Recognition Is on the Way

After two decades of silence, Israel’s rare Kanaani cats live again — a testament to faith, love, and the sacred duty to protect life.

New York, USA — October 23, 2025.

A sacred and historic moment has arrived. For the first time in recorded history, the legendary Kanaani cats — a rare feline breed with ancient roots in the Land of Israel — have crossed the ocean and found a new home in the United States.

The Rare Kanaani Cats are now officially registered with the ARBC (Association of Rare Breeds of Cats), headquartered in Nizhyn, Chernihiv Region, Ukraine, with affiliated offices in four countries around the world. At the same time, The International Cat Association (TICA), the most recognized and prestigious feline organization in the world, based in Austin, Texas, is guiding the process through its Genetic Committee.

According to the latest updates, the Kanaani breed has successfully passed TICA’s review of the breed standard, breed vision, and other required documentation, and is now entering the final stage of the application for recognition as an experimental breed. The process is estimated to be one to two weeks away from official TICA confirmation, which would mark the breed’s first recognition by a major U.S.-based international registry, in addition to its existing WCF and recently added and announced ARBC registration.

This event is regarded as a milestone not only for the feline world but also for culture, ecology, and faith. It connects Israel, Ukraine, and the United States, symbolizing a shared human responsibility to protect what is rare, vulnerable, and sacred.

The Kanaani breed was first developed in the 1990s by Dorothea Polaczek, an Israeli architect and designer, and officially registered as an experimental breed with the World Cat Federation (WCF) in 2000. However, after Polaczek’s passing, the breed’s activity within WCF fell completely silent. To this day, no active breeders are registered with WCF, and no Kanaani cats with official pedigrees have been documented for many years. The breed still exists in name, yet has lost its official continuity and recognition.

For more than two decades, the Kanaani remained a forgotten entry in WCF records, never registered with any other international association, including TICA. Now, for the first time in over twenty years, the breed has been rediscovered, verified, and revived through the efforts of Rabbi Mikhail Salita (Hebrew name: Moshe Ben Israel Salita), founder of Kosher Cats LLC, Salita Foundation, and the Kanaani Salita Golden Line. Working with independent experts from multiple countries, all of whom confirmed the cats’ identity as true Kanaani — including the scientific commission of ARBC — Rabbi Salita achieved what no breeder or organization had done since the early 2000s: the official recognition of living, verifiable Kanaani cats.

Rabbi Salita, ordained by the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute (JSLI), is currently continuing his studies in Animal Chaplaincy at the Compassion Consortium, home of the world’s leading and most recognized program in animal chaplaincy, founded and led by Rev. Sarah A. Bowen, one of the foremost voices in interfaith animal spirituality and compassionate ministry.

“To truly understand the Kanaani, I had to become a rabbi,” said Rabbi Salita. “My rabbinical learning taught me to see things on a deeper spiritual level. As our sages teach, who saves one creature saves the world. After two decades of silence, the breed lives again. The work has only begun, but the first breakthrough is already here. Three Kanaani cats have already arrived in America. The breed is registered with ARBC, and TICA is next — just a step away. This is a mission of preservation for all creation.”

The Kanaani Salita Golden Line now serves as an international center for preserving, documenting, and ethically breeding the Kanaani breed. The revival is being seen as a cultural, theological, and ecological achievement — a triumph shared by Israel, Ukraine, and the United States, and a reminder that every act of preservation protects the divine spark within creation.

This work is important. It is not only about a rare breed but about remembering our role as guardians of life, about restoring balance between humanity and the natural world, and about giving voice to what can no longer speak for itself. From the streets of Jerusalem to the heart of New York, the Rare Kanaani Cats rise again — not only as a breed but as a spiritual message of renewal, compassion, and hope for all beings.

This achievement, two decades in the making, represents the rebirth of a legend and the beginning of a new chapter in feline history.

Kosher Cats LLC / Salita Foundation

Email: Mikhail.Salita@gmail.com