Last month, a cat named Tombi appeared on the grounds of a public elementary school in the city of Izmir, Turkey. Unlike most homeless cats, who can be quite skittish, Tombi was friendly and outgoing, approaching and petting children.
No one knows exactly where this adorable cat came from, but there is no doubt that he has found the place where he belongs.
But Tombi did not stay in the gardens. After a couple of weeks of appearing exclusively in the school garden, the cat apparently decided to try his hand at a formal education, so third grade seemed like a good place to start.
Homeless cat enters an elementary school and decides he will never leave
Professor รzlem Pฤฑnar Ivaลcu told The Dodo:
“He came to our classroom. The children liked it very much.”
And just like that, Tombi became part of Ms. Ivaลcu’s class.
Although some may think that having a cat prowling around the classroom is a distraction for children, and that this could hinder their learning, Professor Ivaลcu found that Tombi was having the opposite effect.
Seeing the cat’s playful curiosity, the children became more excited about being in class.
Students now look more focused, before they used to run and walk in the classroom between classes.
Ivaลcu said:
“The children arrive at school on time and are taking care of Tombi. This is good for them.”
But it’s also good for Tombi. Now the cat has a safe place to sleep and spend his days, he has food and water, and of course many new friends who take care of him. The teacher took Tombi to the vet to make sure he is healthy and vaccinated him.
Things in Ivaลcu’s class had never been better, but a problem threatened to end it.
The parents of one of the students filed a complaint with school officials, saying the cat could pose a health risk. The administrators told Ivaลcu that Tombi had to go.
Ivaลcu said:
“We found a home for Tombi and he stayed there for three days, but he was not happy. He stopped eating. So I took him to my house, but here too he was not very happy.”
Tombi stayed at school
Tombi’s friends at school even wrote letters to try to cheer him up. Seeing that the cat was not improving, ฤฐvaลcu decided to write about his sad situation on social media. From there, the news about Tombi went viral.
Ivaลcu said:
“The story received a lot of attention and support in all the television news. I received a lot of support from many people, including my manager and the director of education in Izmir.”
Even the parent who complained had a change of heart. He also wanted the cat to come back to class. And, of course, the school authorities gave their go-ahead for Tombi to return.
Ivaลcu added:
“The children were very happy to have Tombi back. And he was happy again to be with the children.”
Although this cat’s life may not be too much for some people, the truth is that Tombi means the world to the 33 students in ฤฐvaลcu’s third grade class.
Images: รzlem Pฤฑnar Ivaลcu
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