Cat lovers purr over local show

The City Auditorium this weekend was filled with feather-covered toys being batted around, Persian cats getting fluffed up to look like cotton balls with legs and faintest whiff of cat urine permeating the air.

Welcome to the Rocky Mountain Cat Fanciers show. As the only cat show this year in Colorado Springs, it is the highlight event for the local nonprofit organization and brought in about 150 cats from all over the U.S. and even some foreign countries.

The people who come here are serious about their cats, and the shows are a way of life for many of the owners.

Dian Darr, the show's manager, travels to cat shows every couple of weeks with other local cat enthusiasts.

They load their cats up in station wagons and head out of town, taking their cats to shows in places like Texas and Utah.

"We set the station wagons up with litter boxes in the back and we go," she said.

At each show, the cats are judged and rack up points. The more points they earn, the more awards their cats receive. Although no one wins money, the bragging rights are pretty important and each award won is hung with pride outside the cat carriers.

Karen Lawrence's cat, Curlamity Jane, was sporting several awards Sunday. The cat, which is an American Curl breed (named for ears that curl back), is Lawrence's pride and joy.

Curlamity was born in Lawrence's bedroom and had the qualities of a great show cat right from the start, Lawrence said. While Curlamity's brothers and sisters were sold off as pets, Lawrence wasn't going to part with her.

"She stuck out like a sore thumb without a doubt," she said. She had all of the great traits of her breed and her ears were both the same size and had the same amount of curl, which is great for an American curl.

"All of the points are on the ears," Lawrence said.

Although many of the cats at the weekend show were soft and snuggly, some were, well, different.

Sally Delman is president of the Rocky Mountain Cat Fanciers and is particulary fond of her sphinx cat - a skinny hairless creature that looks more like a rodent than a feline.

"It's true," Delman said of her cat's appearance. "A co-worker once had brought in a picture of her hairless rat. They had the same features."

Still, she loves her cat, Fozzy Bare, who loves to snuggle close and feels like a hot water bottle covered with peach fuzz.

"You either love these cats or you hate them," she said, bringing her cat up to her face and rubbing her cheek against its soft skin. "You can guess how I feel."