- Altair is the fourth feline from an American family to break a Guinness World Record
- His brothers Cygnus, Arcturus and Fenrir all have incredible records as well
Owning just one record-breaking cat may seem like a rarity.
But this silver Maine Coone is the fourth feline from an American family to break a Guinness World Record, thanks to its remarkable tail.
Altair, a five-year-old cat from Michigan, has the longest tail of any living domestic cat, reaching a length of 18 inches (45.5 cm).
This stretches about four inches more than your average furry friend — which equates to nearly three iPhone 10s in a row by length.
But Altair is not alone: his brothers Cygnus, Arcturus and Fenrir have all broken their own incredible records.
Altair (pictured) is the fourth feline from an American family to break a Guinness World Record
Their owner, Dr. William John Powers, believes both genetics and a ‘special diet’ may play a role – with their features being abnormally large.
“His brother Cygnus holds the record for the longest tail ever, so genetics definitely played a part,” Mr Powers told Guinness World Records.
“But I’ve now had four Guinness World Records cats, so I suspect that’s at least in part due to the special diet I designed for them.”
On average, cats generally grow to about 9 to 10 inches in height, with tails measuring about 9 inches for males and 10 inches for females.
But their breed and diet can affect this quite a bit, often requiring large amounts of protein for a cat to grow in size.
Unfortunately, both Cygnus and Arcturus disappeared after a fire destroyed Mr. Powers’ Farmington Hills home, never to be seen since.
Despite this, Cygnus is still remembered as the longest cat tail on record, reaching a whopping 17.58 inches in length.
Meanwhile, Arcturus, a two-year-old Savannah cat, was once the tallest feline in the world, measuring 49.5 cm in length.
The five-year-old cat from Michigan – has the longest tail of any living domestic cat, measuring a whopping 18 inches (45.5 cm) in length
On average, cats generally grow to about 9 to 10 inches in height, with a tail measuring about 9 inches for males and 10 inches for females.
Cygnus (pictured) is still remembered for having the longest cat tail on record, measuring a whopping 17.58 inches
Arcturus, a two-year-old Savannah cat, was once the tallest feline in the world with a height of 19.05 inches
Fenrir, a 18-inch-long cat, is now believed to be the longest living domestic cat
This title has since been taken over by Fenrir, who, at 18 inches (45.5 cm) in length, is considered the longest living domestic cat.
While Mr. Powers admits it’s kind of fun to hang another record-breaking certificate on the wall, he says his cats aren’t trophy pets.
Instead, Fenrir and Altair are often used as “therapy cats” at Mr. Powers’ clinic, where he helps patients with HIV.
He continued, “At the time of the original fire, I was president of a cat shelter. I really wanted to be able to do the charity work with these guys that I barely got to do with the original world record holders.
“Because I have that certificate, my cats work as therapy animals at the clinic (telling someone they have HIV is much easier for them to hear when petting a 35-pound, 20-inch-long cat).”