Istanbul Tombili cat, to whom a monument was erected for an imposing pose

There are many monuments to animals in the world that have earned the recognition of people by doing brave deeds or serving science. But there are also animals immortalized in bronze simply for the fact that it exists and touches the owners and, in general, everyone around. It was for this that she received a personal monument in the Ziverbey district of Istanbul to a simple mongrel Tombili cat.

There are a lot of cats in Istanbul and the attitude to these cute animals is special here. In order to stand out from tens of thousands of their brethren, you need to be special. That's exactly what Tombili was — a fat tabby cat with a white belly.

Tombili became famous due to the fact that he went out every day and, lounging like a real Turkish pasha, took a relaxed pose on the sidewalk, gracefully leaning on the parapet. At first, the pose of the cat delighted the residents of Gulech Lane, then the whole Ziverbey found out about it, and when someone guessed to post a photo of the animal on the network, Tombili came to worldwide fame.

The fluffy Ziverbey symbol has turned into a popular Internet meme, known to users as a "cool cat". Tombili's pose is played out by jokers in different ways - with the help of Photoshop, he is dressed in a Roman toga, seated on a sofa, at the bar, handed a cocktail in his paw or put a hookah next to him. It is impossible to list all the images that a cat can awaken in an observer.

Alas, but, with rare exceptions, the cat's age is short-lived and in August 2016 Gulech Lane lost its imposing mascot. Grateful citizens did not accept this and decided to perpetuate the memory of Tombili, who glorified the area for the whole world. In honor of the International Day of Animals, the mayor of the district ordered to install a bronze monument to the cat in his favorite place in a characteristic pose.

A small monument depicting Tombili in full size became a local tourist attraction. The monument to the cat was even stolen, however, the attackers were so frightened by the resonance of their act that they soon threw the figure back.

So the bronze fat cat is sitting, watching the street life and thinking about something of his own, in a colorful Istanbul alley, right at the feet of bustling passers-by.