Measuring just 7.5 inches long, Tinker Toy holds the record for world’s smallest cat. He was smaller than a standard sheet of paper! And the oldest cat in the world, Creme Puff, lived over 38 years. Can you believe it? These are some extraordinary cats – you might say they’re some of the best!
Of course any cat lover will argue that their furbabies are also the world’s best. I mean, I tell Tiger Jack he’s the best fluffy orange tabby while Dany is the best silver tabby and Ray is the best calico kitten all the time, period, the end. But if you take a peek at the Guinness Book of World Records you’ll find a truly impressive array of fantastic felines, like Tinker Toy and Creme Puff, known for being really old, or really big, or really small, or doing a bunch of tricks or purring super loudly. There are great stories there, so I’ve picked a few record-holding cats to share with you all!
MOST TRICKS: DIDGA
Didga (short for didgeridoo, naturally) lives in Australia with her person Robert Dollwet. I know many people think that cats – as independent and strong-willed as they are – can’t be trained, but Didga is here to tell you differently! Robert has taught her many tricks, from the usual “stay” and “roll over” to “ride this skateboard” and “do a hippy jump.” She’s so good at them, in fact, that she won the record for “Most Tricks Performed By A Cat in One Minute” by doing 20 tricks. You can watch her winning performance below
I love Didga’s expression whenever Robert stops petting her in the talking sections. Very much “did I tell you that you could stop?” With her minced kangaroo snacks and doting human, Didga is #winning at life. You can follow her on social media, too – here’s her Facebook page!
LONGEST FUR: SOPHIE
The longest-furred cat used to be Colonel Meow, who may be gone but is not forgotten in our hearts! His successor is a beautiful lady named Sophie, a rescue kitten saved by Jami Smith. Sophie’s luxurious fur measures up to 10.11 inches in some sections of her tail – which looks lovely, but I wouldn’t want to be responsible for brushing that.
Besides having a remarkable tail, Sophie’s rescue is also a remarkable tale! Jami said she was out walking her dog one afternoon when some guys in a truck slowed down, held a bag out the window, and asked if she wanted a kitten! It turns out someone had abandoned a kitten on their doorstep and they were looking for someone who could take care of her. She seemed to be around 3 weeks old and required bottle feeding and a trip to the vet. But Jami didn’t think much about letting her go to a shelter – she fell in love with her and the rest is Guinness Book of World Records history! (Some of it is, anyway.)
MOST TOES: JAKE
If you’ve been reading Front Page Meews for a while, you probably know all about polydactylism in cats. A standard cat has 18 toes, 5 on each front paw and 4 on each back paw. Polydactyl cats have a mutation that causes them to have extra toes (which does not make them X-Men).
So now you have some context for how extra Jake is: this cat has 7 TOES on each paw! That’s a total of 28 TOES and we should all be thankful that not one of them is an opposable digit capable of manipulating complex pieces of technology. (I’m not sure if I’m ready to welcome our feline overlords; the tiny tyrants I currently live under at home are probably enough.)
LOUDEST PURR: MERLIN
My baby calico Rey purrs super loudly – I’m always surprised when I can hear her across the room and track her without sight by her purrs – but 15-year-old Merlin from Devon, UK takes the cake! When Merlin’s in his happy place and being petted by his person Tracy Westwood, he emits one astounding purr. The officials from Guinness recorded his purrs’ loudness at 67.8 dBA – that’s about as loud as a dishwasher! Just listen in on this video:
Which one of these record-holding felines is your favorite? There are more where these came from, of course – just check the Guinness World Records website. Or hit the comments and tell us about record-breaking kitties you’ve encountered in your life!
