Farmington Hills' Record-Holding Cats Confirmed Dead In Fire

Since Nov 12 when fire destroyed a Farmington Hills home, people all over Metro Detroit and beyond have been moved by the story of the Guinness-record holding cats feared lost. Their owners, Will and Lauren Powers, offered a large reward, one payable, unusually, in bitcoin, for the return of their two record-holding pets, their third cat, and a friend’s cat who they’d been taking care of.

Yesterday, crews finally got to the final room in the fire-ravaged remnants of the Powers’ home, a basement space, and found the remains of Arcturus and Cygnus, the record holders. According to Will Powers, the cats likely died of smoke inhalation. With flames consuming his home, Powers stayed inside as long as possible, opening doors and windows, hoping the cats would find their way to safety.

The family remains hopeful that the other cats might have escaped - their remains were not found anywhere in the home - and there’s still a reward of $25 thousand per pet for “photos and information” leading to their safe return. The Powers family asks people not to approach the cats if they see them, but to take their photos, as approaching the cats may scare them and make them even harder to find. Anyone who thinks they’ve spotted one of these cats may also download Tile, a free locater app, that will trigger a token the cats have on their collars and transmit their coordinates.

Immediately after the fire, Will and Lauren Powers asked that any donations people might direct to them instead go to the Ferndale Cat Shelter, where Arcturus served as a kind of ambassador. Yuki and Sirius, still missing, are pictured above. Sightings may be reported - and a map of the area where the cats are most likely to be spotted can also be found - on the Powers’ Star Cats Detroit website. A post on Will Powers’ Facebook says that Arcturus and Cygnus, respectively the world’s tallest cat and the cat with the longest tail, shared a tight bond. Will Powers said the family takes comfort in the fact that the cats were found together. ”It gives us a small amount of peace that they were together at the end of their amazing journey on this earth,” he wrote.

Photos via Will Powers.