‘HE REALLY IS A GODSEND’: WORLD’S TALLEST CAT WORKS AS A CUDDLY THERAPY ANIMAL

William Powers’ cat, Fenrir Antares Powers, is a record-breaker with a very important job.

The Savannah feline was officially named the world’s tallest cat – measuring in at 18.83 inches – on 29 January 2021, and has defended his title ever since.

Physician William, from Farmington Hills, Michigan, US, brings sweet Fenrir to his HIV and Family Practice Clinic to visit with patients.

‘Fenrir is exceptionally friendly and outgoing, extremely vocal and loves people,’ William said.

‘He works as a therapy cat at my office and people are thrilled because he just wanders right up to them and rubs against them like a little cat would, but he forgets he weighs 36lbs.

‘He is extremely playful, and very silly, and often gets the “zoomies” like a dog and runs around all crazy.’

Fenrir, who has over 8,900 followers on Instagram, loves his job comforting patients.

William, 38, said: ‘He goes wandering room to room receiving treats and cuddles from patients.

‘He really is a godsend when I have to give patients bad news or when they are stressed out for other reasons.’

Even with his formidable size, Fenrir can be a bit timid when it comes to other animals.

William added: ‘If he doesn’t know an animal, a foreign dog or cat, he’s a scaredy-cat, he will hide.

‘Despite his size, he is super intimidated by other animals that he is unfamiliar with.

‘In his own mind, Fenrir thinks he’s a tiny cat.

‘His half-brother Phoenix will be on a leash and a harness at a dog park, and we’ll walk right up to a stranger’s dog and Phoenix will sniff them or bonk them on the head with no fear at all.

‘Fenrir is nowhere near as brave, he is out of there as soon as he sees an animal that he doesn’t recognise, but he absolutely adores people.’

William, who’s also the former president of a local cat shelter, will take the giant kitty to charity fundraiser events to help raise money, and the people he meets are often taken aback at how big he is.

William said: ‘Anybody who meets him for the first time is just shocked at the sheer magnitude of him, people are even sometimes scared at first.

‘But then, people generally expect him to behave like the cats they see on TikTok which are sometimes poorly behaved, have terrible food aggression, and they’re generally just unpleasant.

‘It’s not their fault, they’re just raised badly by somebody who doesn’t understand what these cats actually need to be happy and thrive.

‘These are not cats for everybody, they should not be owned by people inexperienced with cats, or someone just looking to have a “wild-looking” pet, they are not a house decoration.’

Fenrir also has five siblings at home; two bengals, a silver Maine Coon, and two other Savannah cats.

The silver Maine Coon, called Altair Cygnus Powers, also claimed his own Guinness World Record for having the longest tail on a living cat – at 40.83 cm long.

However, having this many large cats doesn’t come cheap – William has to spend up to £400 on food every month.

He said: ‘Fenrir has a custom diet made out of mostly raw meat, primarily chicken but sometimes other animals.

‘They [the cats] also get a special blend of supplements that I devised to try and make my cats as healthy as possible which includes feline essential amino acids, long-chain fatty acids, porcine bone meal, and other additives like nutritional yeast for flavour.

‘And occasionally I will use some regular domestic wet cat food as a topper or mixed into their raw diet to improve the flavour as well.

‘Fenrir gets fed three times a day, always the wet food, and he has to be locked up when he gets fed and can’t eat with the other cats because he literally would eat himself to death.

‘He is literally always hungry and searching for his next meal.’

William’s home has also been made for the needs of his cat family.

He said: ‘My house was designed with the cats in mind, and so they have an outdoor enclosure, their own master bedroom with huge glass windows, and tons of towers and wall mounts for their enrichment.

‘It’s a big house, and it can get pretty lonely being here by myself, but the six cats make sure I’ve always got company.

‘Michigan can be a pretty cold place to live, but after it warms up, we go to dog parks or on walks sometimes.’

Even though the cats cost a lot of money altogether, William said they’re worth every penny.

‘What’s most important is the time that’s spent with them,’ he said. ‘I spend hours with them every day, they are my family to me. I would do literally anything for them.

‘When I’m not at work seeing patients, most of my free time is dedicated to giving them the best life I can.

‘I wish all pet owners would cherish their animals like this.

‘For the amount of love and joy they give me, the money I spend on their health, care, and happiness is the best deal I’ve ever made.’