This is a bittersweet time for Debby Maraspini.
The 2013 edition of Guinness World Records just came out and her beloved cat, Savannah Islands Trouble -- "Trouble" for short -- is in the book as the tallest cat ever, with a height of 19 inches.
However, Trouble isn't around to sniff the pages of the book. He died on August 15 at the age of 4 years and 5 months, according to Maraspini's tribute page.
Trouble was a "Savannah Cat," a new breed created by crossing an African Serval with a domestic feline that has been described as high-energy, intelligent, playful and curious.
And tall, at least in the case of Trouble.
It was a big year for tall animals, apparently.
Guinness World Records handed out honors for "Tallest Living Dog" to Zeus, a Great Dane from Grand Rapids, Mich., that stands 3 feet, 6 inches from paw to shoulder and 7 feet, 4 inches from nose to tail. Zeus’ owner Denise Doorlag said people often ask her, “Is that a dog or a horse?”
Big Jake, the "Tallest Living Horse," is a super stallion from Poynette, Wis., who stands 6 feet, 10 inches without horseshoes.
Then there's Oklahoma Sam, a 4-year-old American Mammoth Jackstock from Watsonville, Calif., who at 5 feet, 1 inch, is the "Tallest Donkey."
While there were some big animals honored by Guinness, Dan Abbate, of Chicago, got in the record book for a different kind of big dog: a veal, beef and pork sausage that was 16 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. Cost: $40.