Two Guinness World Record-holding cats died together in the basement of a Michigan home that burned down last month, their owner, Will Powers, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
Following the Nov. 13 fire that destroyed Will and Lauren Powers' home and all their worldly possessions in Michigan, the family said they sifted through rubble by hand for weeks in the hopes that their three beloved cats along with a friend's cat had escaped from the home.
However, on Wednesday the family confirmed that Arcturus Aldebaran Powers and Cygnus Regulus Powers remained hidden in the home during the fire and had succumbed to smoke inhalation.
The other two cats, Sirius and Yuki, are believed to be missing and the Powers said "there is a significant reason to believe they are both alive."
The bodies of Arcturus and Cygnus were discovered in the basement of the family's home. "They were best friends in life and it gives us a small amount of peace that they were together at the end of their amazing journey on this earth," Powers said.
During the fire, Will Powers desperately tried to search for his "boys" and save them but was unable to find any of them before he was overcome by the smoke and "physically removed" by fire rescue crews.
The two cats' bodies were eventually found during the excavation of the final room in the family's basement.
Arcturus was verified as the world's tallest domestic cat at 19.05 inches.
Arcturus was a Savannah, which is a cross between a domestic cat and a serval — a large-eared wild African cat. "The breed has some dog-like characteristics, such as playing in water and learning to fetch," according to the Guinness World Record entry.
Arcturus lived with Will and Lauren Powers since he was a two-month old kitten. To accommodate his height, they got him an outdoor cat pen and also installed a dog door.
Arcturus was so tall he could stand at the table to eat his meals that amounted to a pound and a half of food daily.
His brother and best friend, Cygnus, broke the record for being a domestic cat with the world's longest tail, at more than 17 inches.
Cygnus was a silver Maine Coon cat which is one of the largest domestic cat breeds in the world, according to the Guinness World Records entry.