Published Mar 13, 2026
Image Credit: Guinnessworldrecords.com
Most domestic cats are on the small side, but a few cat breeds are quite large, with some individual cats growing to impressive lengths. Notably, the Maine Coon is recognized as the largest cat breed, with many Maine Coons growing to impressive sizes. It’s not surprising that the longest cats all happen to be Maine Coons!
Read on to meet the longest cat ever recorded, as well as the longest cat currently living and the previous holder of that title. Get ready to be amazed by these massive cats!
How Big Are Most Cats?
On average, domestic cats are about 28 to 25 inches long when measured from nose to the tip of the tail and typically weigh about 10 pounds. Some breeds and mixes are smaller than these averages and some are larger, but a few individual feline really standout for their size.
For many decades, Guinness World Records determined which animals were the “biggest” based on weight. The heaviest cat of all time was Himmy, an Australian male tabby cat who weighed a whopping 46 pounds, 15.5 ounces! Himmy, who died in 1986, was the last pet to earn the title of Heaviest Cat.
In 1998, Guiness World Records decided to discontinue the category and replace it with two new categories: Longest Cat and Tallest Cat. This welcome change was meant to discourage people from overfeeding their cats simply to try to earn a title—a great call in our opinion!
1. Longest Domestic Cat Ever: Stewie
Stewie remains the record-holder for the category longest domestic cat ever. Image Credit: Guinnessworldrecords.com
- Breed: Maine Coon
- Length: 48.5 inches (123 centimeters)
- Record held since: August 28, 2010
A male silver tabby Maine Coon cat named Mymains Stewart Gilligan (Stewie to his friends) is the current recordholder for the category of longest domestic cat ever. Stewie, who passed away in 2013, was measured from his nose to the tip of his tail. Stewie was owned by Robin Hendrickson and Erik Brandsness of the United States. A beloved pet and certified therapy cat, Stewie truly embodied the Maine Coon nickname “gentle giant.”
2. Longest Domestic Cat Living: Barivel
Barivel is the current longest domestic cat living. Image Credit: Guinnessworldrecords.com
- Breed: Maine Coon
- Length: 47.2 inches (120 centimeters)
- Record held since: May 22, 2018
In addition to the longest domestic cat ever, Guinness World Records also verifies the longest domestic cat living. Currently, this honor is held by Barivel, a male brown tabby Maine Coon. Barivel lives in Vigevano, Pavia, Italy, with his owner Cinzia Tinnirello. Barivel is just 1.3 inches shy of being named the longest domestic cat ever, the title still held by Stewie.
3. Previous Longest Domestic Cat Living: Ludo
Ludo held the title of longest domestic cat living from 2015 to 2018. Ludo the World’s Biggest House Cat / Facebook.com
- Breed: Maine Coon
- Length: 46.5 inches (118.33 centimeters)
- Record held: October 6, 2015, to May 21, 2018
Barivel bumped previous record-holder Ludo from his position of longest domestic cat living by less than an inch! Ludo lived in the United Kingdom with his owner Kelsey Gill, who said she adopted Ludo at 13 weeks old and soon noticed he was as big as other cats that were much older! Sadly, Ludo passed away from cancer in 2019.