Potentially Record-Setting Cat Has a Taste for Kangaroo

Omar may be the world's longest cat
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted May 17, 2017 3:58 PM CDT
Updated May 18, 2017 1:03 AM CDT
Ridiculously Large Cat May Be World's Longest
Omar, a Maine Coon from Australia, may be the world's longest cat. He also has a taste for kangaroo.   (Instagram)

What's it take for a cat to grow so long it's in contention for a Guinness World Record? Good genes, a good home, and lots of raw kangaroo meat, apparently. "It's the only meat we could find that he actually wants to eat," Stephy Hirst tells the BBC. The Australian woman is the owner of a 3-foot-11-inch-long Maine Coon named Omar. The Melbourne resident created an Instagram account for Omar a few weeks ago, and one of his photos was shared 270,000 times on Cats of Instagram. Then Guinness came calling. Now, Hirst is waiting to hear if she's officially the owner of the world's longest cat, beating the record from another Maine Coon that measures 3 feet 10.5 inches. (According to the Independent, the myth about Maine Coons and their size is they are the result of semi-wild cats breeding with raccoons.)

Hirst tells Perth Now the 31-pound Omar likes to "laze around." "You don't make it to 14 kilograms climbing trees and jumping fences," she says. The laid-back cat is having a hard time dealing with his newfound fame—TV and newspaper interviews and even an offer to be a water company's spokescat, the Herald Sun reports. Hirst tells the BBC Omar "had a little bit of a meltdown." That's why she's not worried about whether he actually sets the Guinness record. But owning a massive cat isn't all world records and internet fame. "He does take up a bit too much room on the bed," Hirst says. The famously large kitty sleeps on the couch. (This cat and grandmother survived five days stuck in the mountains.)

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