On August 8 and 9, 2026, something extraordinary happened in Vantaa, Finland. After approximately 26 years of near-total absence from the international show scene, the exceptionally rare Kanaani cat breed returned to competition and made its historic European debut within the World Cat Federation.

I travelled from New York to the FenCat Jubilee Show with two Kanaani cats from RavSalita Cattery, also known as Salita Golden Line: the adult female RavSalita Haifa, who was born in Israel, and her five-month-old daughter, RavSalita Haya, who was born in the United States.

For me, this was far more than another cat show. It was the international return of a rare breed whose history began in Jerusalem.

The Kanaani occupies a unique place in feline history. It is a fully recognized WCF championship breed originating in Jerusalem, Israel, in the Holy Land. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only officially recognized pedigree cat breed whose history began specifically in Jerusalem. This connection makes the Kanaani an important part of Israel’s natural and cultural heritage.

Israel must always be recognized first as the breed’s country of origin. Germany also played an important role in the Kanaani’s formal development and international history. Today, the United States has become a center of the breed’s modern revival.

The Kanaani is not an experimental breed within the WCF. It is fully recognized and eligible to compete for championship certificates and titles. This is why I came to Finland: not merely to display the Kanaani as an exotic rarity, but to return it to genuine international championship competition.

The results exceeded what could reasonably have been expected from a debut.

Haya received Ex1 evaluations and two CACP championship certificates from two WCF judges: Cezary Springer, representing Ireland, and Fabrice Calmes of France. She was also nominated for Best in Show on both days and finished fifth among ten kittens in a WCF Kitten Ring.

Over the two days, Haya earned 407 official WCF Best Cat points: 195 points on the first day and 212 on the second. She is currently the highest-ranked Kanaani in the WCF Kitten/Junior division.

To become a WCF Kitten Champion, Haya requires three CACP certificates awarded by three different judges. The licence for the show in Vantaa permitted only two traditional individual evaluations, so it was impossible for her to complete all three requirements during this single event. She therefore left........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)