The crème de la crème of the cat world were on show at the RDS yesterday, vying for the ultimate accolade of "supreme cat" at Ireland's championship cat show.
An Abyssinian male cat from Staffordshire, England, Champion Nile Amun Ra, emerged the eventual winner.
He fought off stiff competition from the supreme kitten winner, Sliabh Xavnat (a British Blue kitten from Limerick), and the supreme neuter winner, Premier Girona Noblepromise (a chocolate Burmese male from Northern Ireland).
Besides the pedigree cats, there was a special section for non-pedigree household pets. Bart, a male tabby kitten from Mullingar, emerged the supreme non-pedigree winner.
More than 90 pedigree cats from Ireland and Britain took part. In order to qualify, each cat had to win first prize in preliminary competitions for their particular breed, making the show the Crufts of the cat world.
Breeds such as Persian, Norwegian Forrest and Oriental Shorthairs cat-napped in their cages during the competition, as the judges awarded points based on a number of criteria. Bengal cats, a cross between Asian Leopard cats and domestic breeds, drew perhaps the most attention.
Organised by the governing council of the Cat Fancy, the show at the Clyde rooms in the RDS was packed with cat-lovers.
A few Leinster and Munster fans even came in for a quick peek before heading across the road to Lansdowne stadium.