From all the photographs I made last year with my digital camera I selected my top 5 favorite adult cats. Some of them became BIS, others didn't. Hence, in addition to the beauty of the cat, the quality of the photograph, the aesthetic value of the picture, and my personal liking of that particular cat were taken into consideration as well. Names of the cats are omitted. Only breed and color are given. I hope you enjoy my contribution to the Rolandus Yearbook. It certainly offers you an opportunity to get an idea of the quality and kind of cats I judged from 2005 till May 2006.

This male Norwegian is really outstanding. This cat is well groomed and looks impeccable. He has a long and muscular body, a long bushy tail, and a fantastic type of head. Furthermore this impressive boy has a full frill and trousers, a lovely wedge, large ears, strong chin and a magnificent straight profile. There were some other excellent Norwegians. Hence there was plenty of competition, but none of the others had the charisma of this male. He became BIS on the Saturday on the 25th of March at the French show in Semur en Auxois. Another point of interest concerns the following. In 1972 I judged my first Norwegian in Sweden. At that time they didn't yet have the straight profile, and the difference with the Maine Coone breed wasn't that obvious. Now there isn't any doubt left whether it's a Maine Coon or a Norwegian. This definitely is a Norwegian. That's for sure. It is the wonderful result of years of selective breeding.

Another extremely handsome male I happened to judge, became also BIS, again in Semur en Auxois, but now on Sunday the 26th of March. Look at the way he sits on the table. He is the king. He has a long body with a full and deep rib cage, very fine boning, and a long slender tail. Notice the lovely egg-shaped head with the Roman profile, the strong chin, the large conical ears, and the oval slightly upward slanting eyes. Furthermore this cat really is curly-coated. This extraordinary Belgian male has a super temperament and is a perfect performer.

What a shame I couldn't get rid of the flashlight effect in the yes. Well it doesn't harm the overall effect of this magnificent Persian with a super long and dense coat, good tabby markings, and excellent color distribution. The body is cobby with massive legs and a short tail. I love the type of head. The skull is broad, well rounded, with ears set wide apart. The nose is broad and short with a good stop. The eyes are large, expressive and set well apart. Notice that they eyes are not really round, although the standard asks for round eyes. My experience is that round eyes in Persians often give the cat a somewhat silly expression. In fact large eyes are more important. I know the owner, a German woman, since many years, but I hadn't seen her the last few years. This male has won several times at CFA-shows and again here in Dortmund (Germany). He became BIS on the 27th of November 2005. Isn't he gorgeous?

This small female won the hearts of all the judges and became BIS in Eindhoven (Holland) on the 19th of February 2006. She really has the characteristic elfin look, created by the large eyes, short muzzle, prominent cheekbones, and huge low set ears. Furthermore she is well covered with short, full-bodied, wavy fur. Another important feature concerns the comparatively small head. This gives her the 'little darling' effect. Isn't she cute?

In my opinion this is a very nice photograph, despite the fact that she is a little disturbed by the flashlight. This female Don Sphynx sits upright, she lifts the right paw and the tail is curled around her to create a kind of outer circle around her, as if she wants to say: "I am a Sphynx, I am untouchable, you cannot reach me". This female has a good medium sized body and an excellent, elastic, well-wrinkled skin. She has a lovely type of head with a modified wedge, finely outlined cheekbones, good flat forehead, nice profile with straight nose and slight dip. The ears are good as well: large and slightly tilted forward. The ear setting of Don Sphynx reminds me of a tulip. The eyes could have been a little more open, although they are really slanted. This female I judged last year in Kiev on the 24th of September. She was ranked in my top ten list.