THOMASVILLE — Miss Kitty, the cat for whom Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary was named, lost her battle with cancer on Saturday, Aug. 16.

Miss Kitty was diagnosed with cancer of the mammary glands three months ago and underwent surgery to remove the affected glands.

“Apparently, the progression of that type of cancer goes to the lungs,” said Jerry Henderson, Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary founder and president.

Miss Kitty made her home with Henderson and his wife, Bettye.

The night before her death, Mr. Henderson noticed Miss Kitty was sluggish. She would not eat.

The next day, her breathing was labored, and she was rushed to a veterinarian. “It hit her all at once,” Henderson explained.

Rather than subject Miss Kitty to the terrible pain she obviously was experiencing, she was euthanized.

Miss Kitty’s beginnings were as a stray. She and a companion stray, Petunia, showed up in the back yard of the Hendersons’ Thomasville home within a day of each other.

“Both delivered four kittens. That was an immediate addition of 10, eight babies and two mothers,” Henderson recalled. With the exception of a kitten who died six years ago, the kittens, along with Petunia, continue to live with the Hendersons.

Henderson said that when Miss Kitty and Petunia arrived, they seemed to say, “ ‘We are here,’ “ as though their presence had been eagerly anticipated.

At that time, a veterinarian put Miss Kitty’s age at less than a year. Miss Kitty most likely was born in early 2003.

“Miss Kitty was affectionate and had a good disposition,” Henderson said, adding that she was a particularly loving cat.

The sanctuary being named for Miss Kitty came when Thomasville attorney Tommy Vann was handling legal aspects of establishing the facility.

The sanctuary was on the way to becoming a reality in early 2010, when Vann told Henderson the facility must have a name. The lawyer asked Henderson if he had a cat of whom he was particularly fond.

“Yes,” Henderson told Vann. “Miss Kitty.”

Miss Kitty’s remains were cremated.

“We want to make her a part of the spay/neuter clinic,” Henderson said.

The South Georgia Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic being constructed on Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary property at 425 Covington Ave. is set for completion in late October.

Henderson said a niche will be created in the clinic lobby area — with a photo of Miss Kitty and a plaque — and contain Miss Kitty’s remains.

Said Henderson, “Her little face is spread over everything we have done.”

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820.

“Miss Kitty was affectionate and had a good disposition,” Jerry Henderson said.