By: Roya Li

A gentle giant in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has set a Guinness World Record as the tallest living domestic cat in the world. On January 29, 2021, Fenrir Powers measured an impressive 18.83 inches to the top of his shoulders. The achievement of the two-year-old Savannah cat was announced in the 2023 edition of Guinness World Records, which was released last year.

The Savannah cat is a cross between a domestic cat and a wild African cat with large ears. At 14 to 17 inches tall, they are one of the tallest and largest cat breeds. However, Fenrir was an inch taller, unusually tall even for his breed. “He just kept growing like Clifford the Big Red Dog,” Fenrir’s owner, Dr. Will Powers, said in a video about the cat.

Dr. Powers adopted Fenrir when he was just 12 weeks old. The proud owner said the clever cat took advantage of his height. “We had to keep some of the other cats out of the room when we were trying to get some pictures of him, and Fenrir decided he didn’t want to be in the room anymore,” he recalls. “So he got up on his hind legs and opened the door.”

When not breaking records, Fenrir spends his time helping anxious patients in the clinic. “He was hanging out in the office, taking pats on the back, napping on exam room tables, and begging for food,” Powers said.

Fenrir isn’t the only celebrity in the Powers family. Other notable cats owned by the doctor include Altair and Cygnus – the current and former Guinness World Record holder for the longest tail of a living domestic cat. Fenrir’s late brother, Arcturus Powers, was the former Guinness World Record holder for the tallest domestic cat and a family pet. Tragically, Cygnus and Arcturus were killed in a house fire in 2017 , but Fenrir carries on the Powers family legacy for record-breaking felines.