Cygnus is a Maine Coon whose tail is 17 inches long. He recently earned the title of domestic cat with the longest tail. But it’s not too surprising since Maine Coons are one of the largest domesticated cat breeds.
Coincidentally, Cygnus lived with another Guinness World Record holding cat, Arcturus, who is a 2-year-old Savannah cat that holds the title of world’s tallest domestic cat at 19 inches.
There was no competition between Cygnus and Arcturus. The cats were apparently best friends, who played with each other and snuggled. Both cats were owned by Will and Lauren Powers, who had made some accommodations for their big cats. They installed a medium-sized dog door for Arcturus and were extra careful when closing doors, in case they trapped Cygnus’ long tail.
However, there was a tragic development in the cats’ and the Powers’ story. On Sunday November 12, in the middle of the night, a fire started in the Powers’ home. Will and a friend were the only people in the home. When they realized the building was ablaze, Will’s friend and her pet corgi jumped out a window, but Will stayed, searching throughout his house, desperate to find his beloved cats. However, no matter how hard Will tried, he could not spot them. Eventually, Will started to succumb to the smoke in the building and had to evacuate before he suffocated. On his way out, his last act was to open several doors and windows, in the hope that they would be able to escape.
After firefighters tackled the blaze, and treated Will for smoke inhalation and fire induced injuries, there was very little left of the Powers’ former home. However, the one consolation was that no one could find any evidence of the cats in the rubble. What happened to all of them, no one knows. Since the fire, they have not been spotted by anyone. The Powers lived in a very rural area, though, so there’s a chance that they’re all nestled in the woods together.
As you can probably imagine, the Powers were devastated by both the house fire and the loss of their cats. The cats were incredibly precious to them. In fact, they even posted a $100,000 reward for the return of all four cats, and are willing to pay $25,000 per cat. Since this reward was posted, people have been looking for the cats every day, to no avail. The search continues.
Hopefully, the Powers will get their pets back. They have spent their entire lives selflessly helping animals. They run the Ferndale Cat Shelter, which provides medical care and foster and adoption services for cats. The money earned from their cats’ Guinness Records was used to provide care for stray and abandoned cats. After the fire, all Will and Lauren had left was the clothes they were wearing and a few items that Lauren had taken with her. Despite this devastating loss, all they care about is the animals that they cared for for years. Hopefully, all four missing cats are found soon.
If you live near the Detroit area, perhaps you can help. One of the cats, Arcturus, wears a Tile tracker collar. If you install the free Tile app onto your phone, it will alert you and the Powers as to where Arcturus is. If you do find them, you’d make the Powers incredibly happy and could earn up to $100,000. Alternatively, you can donate to their animal shelter to show your support.