MNN - Mother Nature Network

The world’s longest domestic cat, a 48.5-inch Maine coon named Stewie, died from cancer this week at his home in Reno, Nev.

 

The 8-year-old cat, whose full name was Mymains Stewart Gilligan, has held the Guinness World Record title for longest cat and longest cat tail since August 2010.

 

Stewie was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma in January 2012 and had been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. The feline was declared cancer-free last year, but a vet recently found another tumor on his kidneys.

 

The Maine coon was a certified therapy animal that often visited a Reno senior center, and he helped promote animal welfare awareness with the Nevada Humane Society.

 

"Stewie was always very social and loved meeting new people," his owner, Robin Hendrickson, told The Associated Press. "He has touched many lives, and for that I am grateful."

 

Stewie was surrounded by family when he died on Feb. 4, just days after his eighth birthday.

 

"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," Hendrickson said.

 

Check out a video of Stewie below.

 

 

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