Is It Panther Or Puma? Meet Fenrir, The Tallest Domestic Cat Declared By Guinness World Records

Fenrir, at just 2 years and 10 months, may be on track to surpass his late brother Arcturus’s height — at 48.4 cm (19.05 inches) — who previously held the same record title in 2016.

Fenrir, tallest living domestic cat, with his owner William John Powers ( Image Source :Guinness World Records )

Fenrir, a cat from the Savannah fenile breed made history by earning the record title for the ‘tallest living domestic cat’, announced the Guinness World Records. “The fascinating feline, who belongs to William John Powers of Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA, measured an astonishing 47.83 cm (18.83 in) on 29 January 2021,” it stated. 

Fenrir derives its name from one of Saturn’s moons and is an F2 Savannah cat. It is recognised as a domestic breed by the International Cat Association. 

The feline gets its height from his grandfather, a Serval named Kongo who was a tall wild cat and passed his height down to his offspring. 

A Savannah cat results from a cross between a domestic cat and a serval, a medium-sized, large-eared wild African cat.

Despite being a descendant of a wild feline, Fenrir is exceptionally tall for his breed, standing one inch taller than average-sized Savannah cats, which typically measure between 14 and 17 inches tall, stated the Guinness World Records report. 

The report also highlighted that Fenrir, at just 2 years and 10 months, may even be on track to surpass his late brother Arcturus’s height — at 48.4 cm (19.05 inches) — who previously held the same record title in 2016 and still holds the title for the tallest domestic cat ever. 

“I kept a growth chart of both cats, and Fen was neck and neck with Arc all throughout his kittenhood,” said Will. Fenrir was 12 weeks old when he met Will, who owned multiple felines throughout the years. 

With its tall height, Fenir is often confused with different breeds. “Sometimes people see him and think he’s a small panther, a puma, or an ocelot,” said Will. 

As the president of a cat shelter, Will wanted to use Fenrir’s unique status as a record holder to help run charity events as a means of raising funds for Detroit stray and shelter cats, the report quoted him as saying.