The Phoenix color mutation was first offically documented in Russia from breeder Natalya Kuryanova of Cattery Iz Doma Yahontoff and her partner Svetlana Gasanova (Reshnova) of Lions Paradise.
The story of the Phoenix is one full of the things legends are made of. Natalya was working on breeding gorgeous Golden Maine Coons. In May of 2021, her cattery, tragically, caught on fire and burned down to the foundation. Almost all of her cats perished. One of the three survivors was a pregnant female named Karamel Sanatacun. She gave birth to a magnificent male that was a deep mahogany brown color that had never been seen before. This cat was named “Obama” and the color was named “Phoenix” for the mythical bird that rose out of the ashes. This rare color has only been found in Maine Coons.
The picture to the right is the amazing Obama Iz Doma Yahontoff who now resides in the United States at Tassel Castle Maine Coon Cattery! You can learn more about him and Tassel Casstle at the link below.
We are working with Dr. Leslie Lyons PhD at the University of Missouri along with other Phoenix Breeders. She and her team are working to understand the genetic mutation(s) that cause this breathtaking color. We have partnered with her and her team to help with her research!
We are very excited to be participating in Maine Coon history in the making! You can learn more about this fascinating color on Messy Beast's site.
Photo of TasselCastle Semplicemente Perfetto aka Benelli, our beloved Black Phoenix Torbie.
