Hannah might be lonely and miss her mistress, Nannie Turner, but “Aunt Nannie” made sure that her longtime companion would be well taken care of when she was no longer around.

Nannie Turner died in December 2007, and Hannah, her beloved cat, is still living where she lived for so many years – under “Aunt Nannie’s house.”

“We assured Aunt Nannie that Hannah would always have her ‘home’ and be cared for,” said Sarah Branson, Turner’s niece.

“Aunt Nannie’s house near Orion is rented but Hannah still lives there and we go over every day and feed her. We do that for Hannah and for Aunt Nannie.”

Turner loved and cared for animals most all of her life and she lived to be 91 years, so there was a lot of loving and caring on her part.

Nannie Turner and her husband, James, didn’t have any children so they had room in their home and hearts for animals.

Over the years, their home was home for countless “stray” dogs and cats.

“They were always taking in strays,” Branson said. “The veterinarians would call Aunt Nannie and Uncle James when they had a stray brought in and they would take it in.”

Nannie Turner worked as a salesperson at the Diana Shop and Rosenberg’s and James, who as a jack-of-all-trades, drove a school bus and did everything else from repairing clocks to cleaning out septic tanks.

They always had “adopted” animals waiting for them when they got home.

“Aunt Nannie had a little black-and-white dog that she loved so much, but he got killed about a month before she died,” Branson said.

“I guess it was supposed to happen that way.”

When Nannie Turner died, she didn’t forget about the plight of neglected animals.

“She couldn’t stand seeing animals left on the highway or put off in the woods,” Branson said.

“She had a lot of compassion for animals and wanted them to be taken care of.

So, she left some money to the Humane Society of Pike County where she knew it would be put to good use.”

Susan Jinright, society treasurer, said Turner’s generous monetary gift will be used to help fund the spay and neuter program that opens on Sept. 1 and will run until the funds are exhausted.

“The best way to control animal overpopulation is to have pets spay and neutered,” Jinright said.

“We just felt like Nannie would approve of the funds that she left being used for that purpose.

The number of animals that are abandoned, abused and neglected can be greatly reduced through spay and neuter programs.”

Jinright said the Humane Society of Pike County is very appreciative of Turner’s generosity.

“Nannie was a longtime supporter of our humane society and she loved animals and couldn’t stand to see them mistreated,” she said.

“She was a wonderful person and a friend to all of God’s creatures. We miss her.”

The Humane Society of Pike County’s spay and neuter program will pay $40 toward spay and neuter surgeries performed at clinics in Pike County.

The program is restricted to residents of Pike County and Troy University students with an ID.

“Those who wish to participate in the program should make an appointment with a local veterinarian and make sure to say that they are participating in the Humane Society of Pike County’s spay and neuter program,” Jinright said.

“Then $40 will be deducted from the cost of the surgery. We will take care of the rest.”