THOMASVILLE, Ga. — To usher in Adopt-A-Cat Month, Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary will kick off June by presenting 101 Cats in Bow Ties, a photography exhibit by Valdosta professional photographer and Miss Kitty volunteer Lindsi Jones.

Jones spent from August 2015 until April taking photos of Miss Kitty residents, graduates and cats belonging to volunteers.

“Lindsi hopes to make the public aware of the beauty of cats and at the same time draw attention to the homeless plight of so many cats in America,” Carol Jones, Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary Board of Directors chairman, said.

The exhibit will be staged at Grassroots Coffee Company, 123 S. Broad St., from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday.

Special cat coffees, teas and baked goods will be available at the Grassroots Coffee counter for this special weekend only. Some examples of offerings are Cattuccinos, Tabby Teas, Siamese Smoothies, Purrfect Brownies and Lilac Point Lattes.

In conjunction with the exhibit, 11 downtown merchants will host a cat on their premises Friday evening.

The businesses are:

• Sturdy Brothers

• Al Dixon’s Men’s Wear

• The Bookshelf

• Hugger Mugga

• Mimi’s The Look

• The Big Oak Rug Gallery

• Loli’s

• Hicks Clothing Co.

• Dash

• Quirky Perks

• Firefly

Two young male kittens — Spencer and Ben — will be at Sturdy Brothers, 116 S. Broad St. The kittens may be pre-adopted.

Visitors to the exhibit on Friday evening may join a Cat Scavenger Hunt by obtaining a card listing cats being hosted. Upon visiting each store hosting a cat, the player may get his/her card stamped. Each completed card will make the participant eligible to be entered into a drawing.

To add to the evening’s fun, The Bookshelf, 126 S. Broad St., will be headquarters for a performing cat, Louie the Rock Star, of Monticello, Florida.

“Louie is a Havana Brown feline who has his own Facebook page and loves to perform a variety of tricks for audiences. He will be accompanied by his human and personal trainer, Joan Berault,” Jones said.

On Saturday at the Bookshelf, the children’s reading hour at 11 a.m. will focus on a cat story. All children who love cats are encouraged to hear the story.

Cat photos and other catty items will be available for sale on Friday and Saturday at Grassroots. Interested animal owners can sign up for appointments to have their pets photographed by Lindsi Jones.

A portion of all sales will be donated to the Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary.

Millions of unwanted kittens are born in the United States each year. June, with a focus on homeless, unwanted cats, is set aside annually to bring attention to the need to neuter or spay cats.

“In the South, a cat can go into heat several times a year,” Carol Jones explained. “She can even become pregnant while nursing kittens.”

Information about cats will be available at the downtown event.

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