The famous ‘chillest cat’ in Istanbul is honored with his very own statue
Local celebrities don’t always walk on two feet! Meet Tombili, a feline four-footer who was absolutely cherished in his neighboorhood and even gathered national attention in his home country of Turkey. Everybody simply adored this furry cat because of his laid-back personality, which quickly earned him the nickname of ‘the chillest cat in the world’.
It’s unclear if Tombili actually had a home or was just wandering the streets, but he always seemed well-fed and happy to lounge his days around the town.
Because of his loving personality, the locals made sure that the feline four-footer had everything he needed – food, water, affection, everything. Tombili lived a very calm and relaxed life.
You can just see in this iconic picture of the how just how cool, chill and laid-back he really was. He was always perfectly calm and friendly, and that’s why the locals started recognizing and adoring him. Shortly after becoming a local celebrity in the Kadikoy district in Istanbul, he became an online and viral sensation.
Tombili, which actually loosely translates to ‘fatty’, rose to fame after the laid-back picture in question was posted on the popular website 9Gag. It’s a place where memes and funny pictures are shared amongst users and the site is seen by millions of visitors, so it didn’t really take long before the whole world knew about this amazing kitten. The sight of him relaxing in the streets is just simply too adorable.
Tragically, Tombili past away on August 1st, 2016 due to an undisclosed illness.
Shortly after he passed, the locals started to come together as they all wanted to do something special for this amazing cat, someone they considered a local icon and friend. Three months later, they honored Tombili’s life with the official opening of a bronze statue. To make the moment even more special, the statue was unveiled on October 4th, World Animal Day.
In order to actually place a statue in a public street, they needed to have authorization from the city officials. A petition was then launched on the internet which received 17,000 signatures in just a couple of weeks. The city officials took this massive response by heart and gave the green light for the construction of a bronze statue.
The statue shows Tombili is his most trusted and well-known laid-back pose for which he will always be remembered for. For these people, Tombili wasn’t ‘just a cat’, he represents loyalty.
“Thank you very much to the volunteer staff,” a local Tombili Facebook fanpage wrote in their native tongue. “Thanks to all of you. Tombili is immortal. Tombili is an example of loyalty.”
Tombili’s likeliness has now been eternalized in one of his all-time favorite spots.
The statue was also accompanied by a note, once again in Turkish. A user on Reddit provided a loose translation of the note:
“You will live in our hearts. Mascot of our street, beloved TOMBILI lost his struggle for life after a month and closed his eyes to life on first of August.”
Since the statue has been placed, many people have honored Tombili – and it turns out that cats love it as well.
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