FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — The world’s tallest living domestic cat resides in Michigan and we’re not kittens when we say that. Fenrir is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records 2023 which has just been released in stores and online.
The Savannah cat was 47.83cm (18.83in) tall in January 2021 when Guinness confirmed his height and even though he is a descendant of a wild feline, Fenrir is still tall for his breed, standing two inches taller than medium-sized Savannah cats. .
Fenrir is owned by board-certified family physician and HIV specialist Dr. Will Powers of Farmington Hills, who also specializes in the care of the LGBTQ population. Fenrir is actually a doctor’s office therapy cat that helps calm and relieve HIV patients.
“He walks around the office receiving pets, dozing on the exam room tables and begging for treats,” Dr Powers proudly told Guinness of his record breaking cat.
Fenrir greeting patients at Powers Family Medicine in Farmington Hills. (Photo by Dr. Will Powers)
“He will see patients with me, following me from room to room until he starts to get tired, then he will usually stay in one room and curl up in a chair somewhere and doze until bedtime. lunch. He never misses lunch time!
Records are breaking with Dr. Powers. One of his other cats, Altair Cygnus Powers, is also the current Guinness World Records holder for the longest tail of a living domestic cat. The tail measures 40.83 cm (16.07 in).
Altair Cygnus Powers of Farmington Hills holds the current Guinness World Record for the longest tail of a living domestic cat. (Photo by Dr. Will Powers)
Powers’ former cat, Arcturus Aldebaran Powers, is the current Guinness World Record holder for tallest cat of all time. Arcturus, who was Fenrir’s brother, sadly died in a house fire in November 2017. Powers’ home was destroyed and he nearly died trying to save Arcturus and the other two family cats, Cygnus, brother of Altair, who holds the record for the longest tail ever seen on a domestic cat, along with Sirius, who is also dead.
“I did everything I could. I tried to put it out. I called 9-1-1. I searched the house for them as long as I could,” Powers remembers fondly, “I was in a room so full of smoke I couldn’t see. I felt myself around them. I passed out, I hit the ground. I realized when I I woke up if I didn’t get out I was going to die I opened every window and door I could find to give them emergency exits EMS dragged me out of there The house was burnt to the foundations.
Powers says it took him a long time to recover mentally after losing his record cats and his home. Her marriage also ended soon after. It’s his love for his newly adopted cats that has helped him recover over the past few years.
“I was heartbroken. I don’t really have words to describe what it was like, but I wasn’t well for a long time. I didn’t work out for a long time, but I started to I got better and I missed having cats. Now I have six. They make my life better. They healed me. They gave me a reason to get out of this hole.
Dr. Powers says he is a proud “crazy cat dad” and loves to take his new world record holder out in public and appreciates that Fenrir turns heads because of his height.
Fenrir, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, is the world’s tallest living domestic cat, according to Guinness. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records 2023 which was just released on Friday, September 30, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records)
“Sometimes people see it and think it’s a little panther or a mountain lion or an ocelot. It can actually scare people away and they run away from it in fear, but once I explained that he is a therapy cat and very friendly, people are happy to approach him.
Dr. Powers, who was previously president of Ferndale Cat Shelter, says he uses Fenrir to help raise awareness for the adoption of shelter cats. Like his previous record-breaking cats and now his newest cats, he plans to volunteer them at fundraising events.
“I’m open to any particular cat shelter using my cats for their own benefit,” he told MLive. “I would welcome any shelter wanting to do an event with one of them to raise funds. I look forward to all the good that Fenrir and Altair can do with their records.
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