Colonel Meow Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the furriest of them all? Guinness World Records announced earlier this week that Colonel Meow, the Muppet-Ewok-Himalayan-Persian hybrid with a penchant for scotch and world domination, has set the record as cat with the longest fur. The feline's luxurious locks were measured by three independent vets, who recorded an average length of 9 inches on ten strands of hair.
Meow, who lives in Los Angeles with his masters (his word, not mine) Anne Marie Avey and Eric Rosario, and a jolly Golden Retriever named Boots, was found abandoned on the side of the road and rescued by the Himalayan & Persian Society. Despite his old man looks, the 10-pound cat will only be turning two in October.
Colonel Meow - The Longest Fur On A Cat! "His hair gets everywhere in the house, but it's worth it," Avey tells Guinness. He gets brushed (only) 2-3 times a week, and his excess fur is used to knit sweaters for the sick and elderly (not really, but maybe?!). And just how did the Colonel, who already enjoys a massive Facebook following, react to news of such a monumental accomplishment? "Just doing a little celebrating after crushing my world record for longest fur. Even though this is exactly what I've done everyday for the past 3 years. #spreadthefrown #guinnessworldrecord #suckitboo." The internet famous feline's record will officially be recognized in the Guinness World Records 2014 Edition, on sale everywhere September 12.
Via Guinness World Records, thanks for the tip Mark! Previously:The Tao of Colonel Meow
Holy Hairballs! Colonel Meow Sets World Record For Furriest Feline
Can you imagine talking on the phone or watching a movie, only to be interrupted because your cat was purring too loudly? A few weeks ago we met Stewie, the world's longest domestic cat, and recently I had the opportunity to get the scoop on Smokey, another extraordinary feline who currently holds the Guinness Record for having world's loudest PURR!
I thought my cats made a lot of noise when they were content (I always joke that Priscilla sounds like she's making coffee, and it's hard to even describe the weird noises that come out of Charlie), but Smokey's motor is so significant, it competes with the level of sound you would get from a hairdryer, vacuum cleaner, or even a lawn mower!
The purring pussycat's owner Ruth recently took the time to answer some of my questions all the way from England, and revealed the inside story on how the incredible record came about, Smokey's recently released autobiography, and more!
Ruth & Smokey
Hello, Ruth! Please tell us a little about Smokey. How old is she, and how did she come into your life?
Smokey is a rehomed rescue cat and we are her 8th home. She has been in our family for around 3 years and we believe that she is now aged around 12 years old, but as she has no pedigree papers we can only give an age estimate. She came with a shy black companion cat called Sooty. We believe Smokey to be a British Shorthair and Persian mix.
When did you first realize she was different from other cats?
Smokey came from a rehoming animal shelter called NANNA located near Northampton in England. When we collected her we were told about a few of her previous adventures and homes but details were all very vague.
We had previously had outdoor farm cats around the farm and Smokey and Sooty were going to be our first house based cats for my children, Amy and Jordan. As we were not used to having cats living in the house, and we knew that Smokey's purring was very loud but did not realise how unusual it was until visiting friends started to comment when she would start to drone out conversation with her happy humming.
In February this year a friend who volunteers for the Northampton branch of the UK national feline charity Cats Protection called around to ride out my daughter's pony with myself. Whilst riding I asked her what was happening in the cat world, and she told me all about the problems in trying to get the public to spay and neuter their cats. I was told that 1 unspayed female could lead to 45 in a year if her kittens had kittens. I was shocked. I suggested that as my cat had a very loud purr, it may be fun to hold a phone-in purr competition on the local BBC Radio Northampton radio station, and this would draw attention to the important spaying and neutering message.
From this very local idea, within a week Smokey's very loud purring was featured in every UK National Newspaper, and the TV Crews and radio interviews soon followed. Word spread fast and the story of the cat who purrs like a lawn mower went global. The media all wanted to know was Smokey the loudest purring cat on the planet, and I was persuaded to apply for the Guinness World Record for Purring. This was to prove far more difficult than I could ever have imagined.
In May, Smokey was certified as the loudest cat in the world by Guinness World Records for having a purr that measured 67.7 decibels. Can you tell me a little about what the certification process was like?
Guinness World Records operate under very strict guide lines and all readings have to be professionally taken, witnessed and video recorded.
The regulations included:
- A category 1 sound meter was required at a distance of 1 meter away with no background noise.
- The sound engineer was to have at least 3 years experience.
- Professional quality broadcastable video footage suitable for TV and photographs are to be taken.
- A vet or vet nurse should be present.
- Public notary witnesses e.g member of Parliament, doctor, solicitor - Three recommended, with each to produce witness statements.
- A decibel print out and report was to be supplied.
- And there were a lot of forms to fill in.
It is free to apply for a Guinness World Record, however you have to fund all the costs involved with organising the above.
Smokey was recorded at Purring at a level of 67.dB when measured at a distance of 1 meter away. This is louder than normal conversation and similar to a hairdryer, vacuum cleaner, or lawn mower. Imagine trying to watch TV with all that noise going on!
Purrmower?
Has a vet been able to determine any official cause behind her unusually loud purr?
Smokey has been checked by several vets and they have no explanation for her unusually loud purr. There is nothing wrong with her medically. She does however have a very loose tummy which almost swings and sweeps the floor as she walks like a skirt or brush. When she purrs this loose tummy bellows in and out dramatically like an accordion so you can almost see the purring as well as hear it.
What's up next for Smokey? Is it true that she has a book coming out?
Smokey has written her autobiography Smokey the very Loud Purring Cat by Smokey and Ruth Adams. It is published by DB Publishing and retails for £6.99, available to order from book shops, Amazon, www.smokeythepurringcat.com or www.dbpublishing.co.uk.
Smokey has a pawtograph of her foot made so that she can stamp books. The book includes newspaper articles, illustrations from myself and lots of colour photographs. The book is amusing and covers Smokey's former homes (fictional part) and being discovered by the media and her two Guinness World Records attempts.
The book has been reviewed by Larry the Cat from Number 10 Downing street, and has a forward written by the RSPCA. There is also a chapter written by Craig Glenday, Editor in Chief of Guinness World Records, including other amazing animal records.
Smokey has made several public appearances and is at the moment the star attraction at the UK National Pet show LovePets. She has several book signings at local book shops. She has a few more Television shows lined up, and may be appearing on the Guinness World Records show in the future.
How does she feel about her newfound fame? Has being a world record holder gone to her head?
How has this changed Smokey? She is fatter from all the bribes of strips of ham I give her to purr and she now thinks that every time the telephone rings she should purr very loudly as she thinks it's time to purr for an interview and ham time. This can be very annoying.
How has this changed me. I am a lot poorer, and try and hide the mounting costs from my husband, but this has all been a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, real roller-coaster of experiences. Do I regret it? Some days yes, as it has totally taken over my life for the last six months with constant media interviews and work on the book, and had this not happened I would have been none the wiser and carried on with life as usual.
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Special thanks to Ruth for taking the time out of her busy schedule to share Smokey's story with us! She is a gorgeous cat, and it's amazing that after being rehomed so often she is finally sitting pretty at 12, with a wonderful forever home, fame, and a world record under her little kitty belt!
Guinness World Records recently documented a slew of extraordinary felines, including Fizz Girl, the World's Shortest Cat, and Mymains Stewart Gilligan (Stewie), who at 48.5 inches long, is the longest domestic kitty in the world!
Stewie lives in Nevada, where he enjoys attending cat shows and working as a trained therapy cat. His owner, Robin Hendrickson, recently answered some of my questions about the mammoth Maine Coon, who at just over 4-feet-tall, is larger than a small child!
Robin and Stewie
Hi Robin! Please tell us a little about Stewie. How old is he, and how did he come into your life?
Stewie is a 6-year-old Maine Coon cat that we acquired along with his littermate brother. He came from The Mymains Cattery, a reputable cattery in Hermiston, Oregon.
Where did his name come from?
Stewie got his name from Family Guy. We are fans and he was always underfoot and it seemed like he was trying to kill me... you know, I was his Lois...
When did you first realize he was different from other cats?
About the 50 thousandth time I heard, "wow, he is long" or "huge." He has always had a great personality, which is very amenable to the therapy cat work he does.
How does Stewie's size affect your household? For example, my cats love to knock things over with their tails, but I imagine Stewie can cause some serious damage!
Stewie really is a good boy. He generally stays out of trouble, with the exception of stealing the mail from time to time...
What was the process of being certified for a Guinness World Record?
We went through a process of measuring in front of the media and witnesses. We then gathered notarized statements and media footage and submitted them to Guinness for review. Easy, but time consuming.
In addition to be a world record holder, Stewie is also a therapy cat. Can you tell us a little about that?
Stewie visits local hospitals and rest homes and brightens the patients day. I hope to get him into the schools to work with special needs kids. Most of all though, I hope to someday raise the money to take him to visit the children at St. Jude Children's Hospital.
How does he feel about his new found fame? Has being a world record holder gone to his head?
He knows he got extra tuna for some reason...
What's up next for Stewie?
Stewie is going to just relax and enjoy his therapy work for a while.
Special thanks to Robin for taking the time to answer my questions! If you'd like to learn more about Stewie, you can visit his website and Facebook fan page for more information!
8 Questions with Stewie, The World's Longest Domestic Cat
You've probably seen stories about two-faced kittens in the news before, but they are rare, and their stories usually don't have happy endings. Not so with a cat named Frank & Louie, who at 12-years-old has earned the Guinness World Record for being the longest living Janus cat in the world, a term coined after the Roman God with two faces.
Frank & Louie was adopted by a veterinary nurse named Marty, after a breeder brought him in to Tuft's Veterinary School where she was working at the time. Instead of allowing him to euthanized, she decided to give the day-old kitten a home instead.
The cat has one head and brain, but is double trouble with two mouths, two noses, two seeing eyes, and one non-functioning eye that sits in the middle of his head like a cyclops. Marty tells the Worcester Telegram and Gazette that while people are initially taken back by his unusual look, "he's just so affectionate and sweet he usually wins (them) over."
Far from living a conventional existence, the world record shattering feline who celebrated his birthday earlier this month, shares his Massachusetts home with another cat, a dog, and an opera singing parrot.
On a personal note, I think this is the best story ever, and it totally made my day. Go Frank & Louie!
