Meet Tombi, the Cat Who Attends School in Turkey

Tombi attends school almost every day. He rarely misses his classes or comes late. Tombi most of time sits calmly on a desk or takes a walk without disturbing his classmates, then takes a nap somewhere in a corner. 

No, Tombi is not a child - he is a cat. He lived in the school garden before he started to attend his classes.

An adorable orange tabby stole everyone’s hearts when a teacher Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu shared photos of Tombi on social media, she took during one of her classes. She teaches a class of 33 children in one primary school in Izmir. 

The children adore him. They try not to make noise or talk out loud in class being careful not to disturb Tombi when he sleeps. Children do not leave the school without saying goodbye to him and every morning they check if Tombi has enough water and food. A teacher takes care of cat's health, and keep his vaccinations up-to-date.

Not everyone was happy about Tombi’s presence in a classroom. One child's mother thinks that a cat does not belong at school beacuse it may pose a health risks for children.

“We, a school director and I, attempted to explain her that a cat stays with us temporary. All other parents stood behind us. It is such a shame, the education system leaves us alone to deal with caprices of parents.” 

Following complaints from a parent, a teacher made a decision to find a home for Tombi. The post with lovely photos of Tombi has received over a thousand of shares already. A cat was adopted quickly. 

Children bid farewell to Tombi, sending him letters and drawings.

A person who adopted Tombi brought him back a few days later because Tombi was unhappy in his new family and did not get along with the other cat. 

It turns out that a teacher and children did not really want to find a permanent home for Tombi. They still hoped Tombi will be allowed back into the classroom one day.

Luckily, the Provincial Director of National Education in Izmir, Ömer Yahşi, heard about Tombi's story. He assured that the cat did not pose any health risks to the schoolchildren. Finally, Tombi can go back to his school and stay there as much as he wished.

One of Tombi's classmates said:

"He is such a beautiful and well-behaved cat. Tombi is like our baby. When our teacher told us that Tombi had to leave us, we cried a lot. We are so excited and happy to have our cat Tombi back."