ISTANBUL – Istanbul’s Ziverbey neighborhood was terrinly shaken when their unofficial mascot, Tomboli, died.
So when some local authorities unveiled a statue of the rotund cat sitting in his favourite spot, hundreds came to pay tribute.
Fans came from all over to pay their respects on World Animal Day, leaving candles, cat food and flowers.
17,000 people from Istanbul’s Ziverbey neighbourhood asked for a commemorative statue CREDIT: ANADOLU KEDISI
Many photo-shopped drinks into his paw and joked around that he looked like he ran the town.
Sadly, the cat died in August of a mystery illness, according to his owners.
Posters appeared all around the street where he used to sit, and they stated: “You will live on in our hearts, mascot of our street”.
A popular change.org petition, which gathered some 17,000 signatures, asked for a statue to be erected in his honour.
They asked Kadıköy Municipality to officially honor Tomboli and local sculptor Seval Şahin agreed to create the statue.
During the unveiling ceremony, Kadıköy deputy mayor Başar Necipoğlu thanked all of the animal lovers in the area for making the statue possible.
Istanbul is renown for the stray cats which prowl its streets and crouch in its corners.
This is to such a great extent that the city has come to be known by many as ‘Catstantinople’.
RIP Tomboli!
