Adorable cat breaks into third-grade school classroom and makes it his home

A beautiful ginger cat had been roaming around the grounds of an elementary school in Izmir, Turkey. No one knew where he came from but one day, he made it inside a third-grade classroom. The lovable orange cat later named Tombi then realized this place was super cozy and decided to never leave again! The sweet feline finally found a place where he belongs... a place to call home.

Many people might think having a cat in the classroom can be quite distracting for the students. But with Tombi around, the kids in the classroom had a different time. “The children come on time to school, and they are taking care of Tombi,” third-grade teacher, Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu, told The Dodo. “This is good for them.” In fact, the cat's playful curiosity got the kids more pumped up to be in class. Surprisingly, without the cat, the kids would run around in the classroom between lessons. With Tombi they actually became super focused!  

"The children liked him very much," the teacher added. A pet in a classroom is likely to provide a sense of peace and calm. The animal can make hyperactive children stop and be calm while they can make introverted children slowly open up. Animals in a learning environment can help inspire as they learn. It also teaches children to be gentle and compassionate and loving when they're associated with animals at an early age in life.

Unfortunately, one student's parents filed a complaint about Tombi, worrying that he could pose a health risk as a stray cat. "We found a home for Tombi and he stayed three days there, but he was not happy. He stopped eating," İvaşcu said. "So I took him in at my house, but also here he was not very happy." It seemed like Tombi really missed his friends at school. They even wrote letters to try and cheer him up!

İvaşcu was determined to help Tombi in any way she could and turned to social media mentioning the sweet cat wasn't getting better. Finally, after backing from her manager and the director of education in Izmir and even a change of heart from the student's parents who complained, Tombi was welcomed back into the classroom! "The story got a lot of attention and support on all TV news," İvaşcu said. "I had a lot of support from many people, including from my manager and the director of education in İzmir. The children were very happy to have Tombi back. And he is happy again to be with the kids."

The sweet animal's adventure even inspired Ivaşcu to write a book with him as the main character! The book titled "Tombi Sanliurfada" was published in 2018. İvaşcu has since moved abroad, saying goodbye to the school and her former students, but fear not. It seems she took sweet Tombi with her. According to My Modern Met, İvaşcu has since moved to Switzerland and has been writing more books starring beloved Tombi. She also continues to share pictures of the adorable animal on Instagram. You can follow Tombi's adventures here.