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Sweetie, a grey and black tabby cat, sits in her large cage with her back story displayed on a card behind her, awaiting judging in the non-pedigree section of the Dublin Champion Cat Show. Unusually for a competing cat her mother was a stray, however, Sweetie won her first show at six months old and is still competing five years later.
The event, at Knocklyon Community Centre, is a collaboration between the Siamese and All Breeds Cat Club of Ireland (SABCCI) and the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy of Ireland (GCCFI). The competition has been held for several years, but this is only the second year of the collaboration.
"We have joined together because it's so expensive to do the show. Now it's like two shows in one, it's a double show," says Karen Sluiters, chairwoman of the SABCCI. "One of the most expensive things is the penning [cages and fittings] which comes from England. It's quite expensive and they have to come with it and set it up.
“At the moment there are only 85 cats here, the numbers are going down. I think it has to do with finances. It costs €35 per cat, but the second cat is €30, it goes down like that. If you have a non-pedigree cat it will be cheaper as well.”
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The Dublin show is one of several regional shows held around the country each year, before the “supreme” show held every April. “It is like the Crufts of the cat world, like the champion of champions show,” adds Sluiters.
Dionne Dixon’s cat Lila, who’s pedigree name is Ishcus Slip By, competed on Sunday. Dixon, is vice-chairwoman of the SABCCI.
"This is my main event of the year because this is my cat club. I also go to the Limerick one, which was on in February, and the Cork one, and then there's the supreme. So the GCCFI in Ireland has four a year. If we are trying to get our cats' titles up we would try and go to all of them," she says.
The competition also showcases several stalls selling a variety of goods and services such as cat toys, pet first-aid kits, cat-themed art, catnip, cat-sitting and behavioural therapy
In order to become a champion, your cat must first receive three certificates from competitions or shows, and must receive a further three to be a grand champion. Lila was champion in her class.
Judging criteria
Cats are judged by their breed and their colouring within that breed. Cats that win “best in variety” go forward to compete against the other winners for “best in show”. Judging criteria includes colouring, length of tail and eye colour.
Winning cats receive a certificate, rosette, a cup and a 5kg bag of cat food.
The competition also showcases several stalls selling a variety of goods and services such as cat toys, pet first-aid kits, cat-themed art, catnip, cat-sitting and behavioural therapy.
Mary Maher of Love Silver Ireland says that although her silverware and jewellery doesn't necessarily have a cat theme to them, she comes to the cat shows because of her own love of cats. While she tends to find more success at festivals and agricultural shows, she says: "I always make something here, not a lot, but I just love coming out to these shows."