All the animals of the world were gathered together to decide their rulership. Dogs were asked who they would obey, and they said "Man", and Men and Women accepted. Men and Women were asked who they would obey, and they said "Nobody". They were then cursed to obey priests and lords and kings and politicians and employers and husbands and wives and parents and children and all else who claimed dominion over them, and the Cats then claimed dominion over Men and Women.
The Cats were asked who they would obey, and they said "Our Queen". They sat all together in back, facing forwards, and nobody was able to see that their tails were crossed behind their backs. This was the last unified thing Cats ever did. They were asked who their queen was, and an elegant black cat walked forward, and Cats said "She is", most of them having uncrossed their tails.
The office of Queen has of course continued to today, and will until the end of the world. Every time a Queen dies, an elegant female cat is chosen as the new Queen, and she received dignity and a Court Pest, whose job it is to remind her that the Cats promised to obey only with their tails crossed, lest some Queen should actually try to command the Cats.