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We've heard stories of cats finding a home by simply wandering into a home and adopting the humans living in it. But one very clever kitty walked into a more academic location and got itself a tiny legion of adoring friends. Tombi the cat used to roam the grounds of an elementary school in Izmir, Turkey, greeting students and asking for pets. One day, he made his way to a third-grade classroom. What at first seemed a one-day occurrence quickly turned into a long-term thing, as Tombi settled in and turned the classroom into his home, much to the students' delight.
While many may think the cat could easily turn into a distraction for the kids, Tombi had the opposite effect on them. “The children come on time to school, and they are taking care of Tombi,” the third grade teacher, Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu, told The Dodo. “This is good for them.”
Instead of running around and playing in between lessons, the students remained calm during breaks for Tombi. Ivaşcu’s photos show him sitting on students’ desks while they work, almost as if he was an assistant teacher guiding students through a lesson.
The cat seemed to love the kids as much as they loved him. Unfortunately, one student's parents filed a complaint about Tombi, as he could pose a health risk, and the cat was moved into an actual home. Tombi really missed his friends, and stopped eating for three days. Hoping to cheer him up, Ivaşcu brought him into her home, but he wasn't happy there either. Meanwhile, the students sent him drawings and letters to let him know they had not forgotten about him. Worried about his state, the teacher turned to social media, and after getting support from her manager and the director of education in Izmir—and a change of heart from the student's parents—Tombi was welcomed back into the classroom.
Tombi's whirlwind adventure inspired Ivaşcu to write a book with him as the main character. Tombi Sanliurfada was published in 2018, and it made many more kids fall in love with the cat's tale. It also turned Ivaşcu into a children's author. Now living in Switzerland and having penned more books starring Tombi, the teacher continues to share pictures of the desk-loving cat on Instagram.
Tombi the cat used to roam the grounds of an elementary school in Izmir, Turkey, until one day, he made it to the third-grade classroom.
View this post on Instagram
Tombi settled in and turned the classroom into his home, much to the students' delight.
View this post on Instagram
The third grade teacher, Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu, captured photos of him sitting on students’ desks while they worked, almost as if he was an assistant teacher guiding them through a lesson.
View this post on Instagram
Tombi's whirlwind adventure inspired Ivaşcu to write a book with him as the main character. Tombi Sanliurfada was published in 2018.
View this post on Instagram
Tombi: Instagram
Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu: Instagram
h/t: [The Dodo]
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