A rusty-spotted cat has sadly died, The Big Cat Sanctuary has announced.

Nuwara, who was huge favourite with not only staff but visitors as well, had to be put to sleep on Wednesday afternoon.

Staff at the sanctuary in Smarden, near Ashford, say for such a tiny cat, her death has left a big hole in their hearts.

Nuwara, who was 12, was a favourite of 60% of the guests who stay in the site's lodges and although she may have been small, she had a big personality.

She arrived at the conservation site, set in 32 acres of grassland in the Kent countryside, when she was 11-months old.

Staff say she had a big attitude and immediately started capturing the hearts of everyone who caught sight of her.

A spokesman said: "She was fast, fun, and feisty she would race around her enclosure whenever keepers brought food, keeping her distance, mostly, but never letting you take your attention off her.

"The beautiful big eyes with her gorgeous terracotta coat often prompted comments about how she resembled Shrek’s Puss in Boots.

"In personality too she resembled him very much, perfecting the innocent gaze, while also being a little hooligan when she wanted to be."

Nuwara loved her food, but staff say she was never a particularly playful cat, but was kept stimulated using nutritional enrichment, which would see her solve puzzles or get a workout while obtaining her food.

The sanctuary spokesman added: "Nuwara would always throw herself into these challenges with gusto and a sharp intelligence that made her achieve her prize quickly and efficiently. Nothing could keep her from her beloved food."

Nocturnal in nature, Nuwara wouldn’t always be the easiest cat to spot for visitors to the site, hiding in plain sight, she would often be missed by people not noticing her nestled in her outside nest box.

In the last couple of years Nuwara had certainly slowed down and mellowed slightly.

At the end of July, staff started to notice that Nuwara’s belly seemed a little swollen. Gradually she became bigger, and investigations pointed towards issues with her heart.

Despite attempting various medications, vets were unable to slow the fluid build up which had direct welfare impacts as Nuwara was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

The spokesman added: "It was therefore decided, with the support of our incredible veterinary team, that we were no longer able to provide good welfare for our tiniest family member, and it was in her best interest to say goodbye.

"Although this is a very difficult loss, she had a fabulous life with us at the sanctuary and she inspired so many guests to really take notice of how incredible small cats can be.

"Guests often come for the big cats and leave having a new love for small cats and much of this is down to Nuwara.

"Despite being the smallest cat on earth, she had an enormous impact and left an enormous impression."