For the North Coast’s many cat lovers: Oscar, a 7-year-old rescue cat owned by Theodore Shiells of Dallas, Texas, has won the record for the longest jump by a cat, according to Guinness World Records. He jumped 8 feet 5 inches, from one table to another. 

Earlier, the tough-guy feline survived a fall out of a second story window. “His experience left him with a strong craving for ‘air time,’” Shiells noted, “and thankfully, an important life lesson: Vertical jumps are dangerous; horizontal is safer!”

“Beginning with a jump of just a few inches, he soon progressed to a few feet, and then through a hoop. This was very cute, of course, but there was not the slightest thought at this of a world record!”

Oscar, who often meows his demand to go jumping, trained with over 1,000 practice jumps before he broke the previous record of about 7.5 feet on Feb. 26.

Oscar is not the only talented feline in the family. His “feline-sister” August Ray Surfer Cat, a trained surfer (inset photo), participates in dog surfing competitions. (Photo: Guinness World Records)