Pixel: World's Shortest Cat is 5 Inches Tall - Facts

Story:

Meet Pixel, the world’s shortest cat at just 5 inches tall.

Analysis:

The message comes with a picture of a small cat called Pixel, which is supposedly 5 inches tall and calls it as the world’s smallest cat! The average domestic adult cat would be nine to ten inches tall, so let us study if Pixel is indeed the shortest.

Picture about Pixel, World's Shortest Cat is 5 Inches Tall — Pixel, World’s Shortest Cat is 5 Inches Tall

The super-cute kitty Pixel owned by Tiffani Kjedergaard of California is just five inches tall from shoulder to paw. Pixel is a munchkin cat and has been put forward by the owner to be measured by the Guinness Book of Records. It’s interesting to note that Pixel’s mother Fizz Girl, who stood at six inches, grabbed the record title for ‘Shortest Living Cat’ (adult) in 2012. The video down below shows a report on the cute little pet Pixel. As of this writing, Pixel remains unverified by Guinness World Records, also because the Munchkin Cat breed carries some controversy.

Picture of Pixel with its owner Tiffani Kjedergaard — Pixel with its owner Tiffani Kjedergaard

Munchkin Cat

Munchkin is a relatively new and special breed of cats having a rare, naturally occurring gene make up, characterized by their short legs. The breed was only recognized by The International Cat Association in 1995.

Controversy

When the Munchkin breed of cats first emerged, because of their rare gene make up and physical characteristics, some critics voiced concerns over their prospective health complications and stunted limbs. But the owner of Pixel, Ms Tiffani dismissed those concerns saying, “People who don’t understand the gene consider it a genetic defect or mutation or something of an abomination. It’s very unfair for them to say that. It’s natural for these cats to be this tall, just like it’s natural for some people to have brown eyes – it wouldn’t be wrong for them to have blue eyes. It’s their build and it’s natural for them to be built this way“. Breeders have also responded saying the genetic process in munchkin cats is completely natural and they are becoming more popular with owners.

So, to conclude, the small but purr-fectly formed adult cat Pixel is submitted by the owner Ms Tiffani Kjedergaard for verification of Guinness World Records. As of this writing, the Shortest living domestic cat (height) according to guinnessworldrecords.com is Lilieput, a 9 year old female munchkin cat, which measured 5.25 in (13.34 cm) from the floor to the shoulders on 19 July 2013.

For the interested, the “Smallest cat ever” on record was a male blue point Himalayan-Persian, named Tinker Toy (25 December 1990 – November 1997). It measured only 7 cm (2.75 in) tall and 19 cm (7.5 in) long. The unusually tiny feline was owned by Katrina and Scott Forbes of Illinois, USA.