Being a judge of cats is such a specialised role that there is a shortage of them in Ireland.
The eight judges who participated in the Dublin Championship Cat Show yesterday came from the UK, at considerable expense to the organisers.
The show hosted by the splendidly named Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of Ireland is now in its 63rd year. It took place for the first time in the RDS this weekend, with the Pet Expo next door guaranteeing a bigger than usual audience.
Judging by the many rosettes adorning their cages, the animals on show in the RDS really were the top cats in Ireland.
One, a Seal Point Siamese named Siawye Queen of Spades, was so small the last time she was entered into the competition that she fitted into the cup she eventually claimed.
There are just three judges available in Ireland and some do not have the skills to cover the myriad categories.
Each of the eight judges who came from the UK had spent many years being schooled in the esoteric act of deciding which of any of these perfectly groomed tabbies is better than all the rest.
Unfeasibly perfect
To the untutored eye, the feline contestants all look as if they are of equal merit. Indeed, they all look unfeasibly perfect.
Dorothy Stone spent 12 years as a Burmese cat breeder before being able to judge the category. She and another judge disagreed over the best foreign neutered cat.
Ms Stone thought a female sphinx cat should win; her colleague thought a blue male sphinx ought to triumph.
Back and forth the argument went until a referee intervened.
Ms Stone lost out.
“I was not impressed because the blue boy has very watery eyes. It’s not just a bit of fun. It’s serious,” she said.
Fellow judge Bruce Bennett was unimpressed by a house cat who refused to come out to play when he tickled her with a feather duster.
However, he was enraptured by a large male Maine Coon called Harrison. These shaggy-haired cats, bred in the hard winters of North America, resemble little lions.
“He’s just a star,” he said, observing Harrison playing with a toy mouse.
Harrison's owner, Sharon Archer, says he is among the five best Maine Coons in the world and would fetch a healthy four figure sum if sold.
But she has no intention of selling him.
“He’s too much of a pet,” she said.
The top prize of best in show was won by a chocolate adult British short-haired cat named Your Majesty Mr Universe.
Ireland has a new top cat.
