arya
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2009
- Messages
- 3,006
- Likes
- 1,531
Stewie the Cat, the longest domestic cat in the world, measuring more than 4 feet long from nose to tail, has died.
Stewie was surrounded by family when he succumbed to a yearlong battle with cancer on Monday evening at his Reno home, owner Robin Hendrickson said. He was 8.
Guinness World Records declared Stewie the record-holder in August 2010, measuring 48.5 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.
Hundreds of fans have flooded Stewie's Facebook site with memories and condolences. The Maine Coon cat was a certified therapy animal that frequently visited a Reno senior centre and helped promote animal welfare awareness with the Nevada Humane Society.
"Stewie was always very social and loved meeting new people," Hendrickson said. "He has touched many lives, and for that I am grateful."
Stewie's full name was Mymains Stewart Gilligan. Hendrickson bought him from a breeder in Hermiston, Oregon, in 2005. Last month, he attended the International Cat Show in Portland, Oregon.Officials for Guinness World Records did not immediately respond to inquiries about a successor to Stewie's record. The previous record-holder, Leo, a 48-inch-long Maine Coon owned by Frieda Ireland of Chicago, died several years ago.
Stewie was diagnosed in early 2012 with Lymphosarcoma, a malignant disease of the lymphoid tissues. He responded successfully to chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free, but the remission period was brief and a vet recently found another, more aggressive tumour on his kidneys, Hendrickson said.
"I knew that although we could fight it, the end was near and so I wanted to simply make him comfortable and let him enjoy the time he did have," she said.
Stewie was surrounded by family when he succumbed to a yearlong battle with cancer on Monday evening at his Reno home, owner Robin Hendrickson said. He was 8.
Guinness World Records declared Stewie the record-holder in August 2010, measuring 48.5 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.
Hundreds of fans have flooded Stewie's Facebook site with memories and condolences. The Maine Coon cat was a certified therapy animal that frequently visited a Reno senior centre and helped promote animal welfare awareness with the Nevada Humane Society.
"Stewie was always very social and loved meeting new people," Hendrickson said. "He has touched many lives, and for that I am grateful."
Stewie's full name was Mymains Stewart Gilligan. Hendrickson bought him from a breeder in Hermiston, Oregon, in 2005. Last month, he attended the International Cat Show in Portland, Oregon.Officials for Guinness World Records did not immediately respond to inquiries about a successor to Stewie's record. The previous record-holder, Leo, a 48-inch-long Maine Coon owned by Frieda Ireland of Chicago, died several years ago.
Stewie was diagnosed in early 2012 with Lymphosarcoma, a malignant disease of the lymphoid tissues. He responded successfully to chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free, but the remission period was brief and a vet recently found another, more aggressive tumour on his kidneys, Hendrickson said.
"I knew that although we could fight it, the end was near and so I wanted to simply make him comfortable and let him enjoy the time he did have," she said.
