My kitty’s a contender for the world’s biggest CAT – he was the smallest in the litter but now he’s as big as a cheetah

A CAT which was the smallest kitten in its litter is now vying to be crowned the world's biggest domesticated feline.

Six-year-old Xartrux, from Brazil, measures 4.2ft in length and weighs just over 10kg - making him as big as a cheetah.

While an average cheetah is much heavier than Xartrux, they are between 3ft 7in and 4ft 11in long - a bracket Xartrux comfortably falls into.

A breed of Maine Coon, Xartrux is expected to be naturally big, due to the breed''s title as one of the largest in the world.

But he has grown to such a monumental size that owners Marcia Oliveira and Jean Martins, from Jau, in Sao Paulo, claim their pet is longer and heavier than the biggest domestic cat currently alive.

They reportedly filed their case with Guinness World Records in January, with footage showing a grumpy-looking Xartrux participating in the Rio Cat Club Exhibition in March 2023.

Marcia said: "He was born at home and was the smallest kitten in the litter, he wasn't even 80 grammes.

"He was very small, we thought he wouldn't develop, but, little by little, he passed his brothers.

"I didn't imagine he would be become that size.

"But, at four months old, he was already a bigger than normal cat and was excelling in competitions."

The couple have been breeding Maine Coon cats since 2013.

The breed is one of the largest in the world and was previously considered the biggest until the introduction of the Savannah cat in the mid-1980s.

On average, male Maine Coons can weigh between 8-10kg.

Marcia said: "He has all the standards of the breed, size, docility, a sweet, dear, companionable, good-natured, lazy cat, he does what he wants with us!"

Xartrux isn't the only Maine Coon to stun its owner with its rapid growth.

Photographer Chastity had no clue her cat Kusa would grow so massive it could barely fit in her arms.

The cat mum could not believe it when her cute kitten failed to stop growing, although it left people worried her feline was a dangerous beast.

Last year, another pet owner who claimed she had the world's largest cat said the feline was as tall as her four-year-old daughter.

Yuli Minina's took to Instagram to show her followers shocking footage of her Maine Coon standing on his back legs and letting himself into the garden.