The City of Istanbul Immortalizes Tombili the Cat With a Bronze Statue Lounging on His Favorite Step

The sweet neighborhood cat named Tombili who would regularly lounge on a concrete sidewalk step and lean in anthropomorphically on one elbow to watch all the people walk by, sadly passed away in August 2016. The people of the Istanbul, Turkey neighborhood Karaköy found that they missed the sight of this familiar feline and raised up an online petition for a memorial. Government officials agreed and a bronze statue was erected in Tombili’s likeness and unveiled on October 4, 2016, World Animal Day. Sculptor Seval Sahin beautifully recreated Tombili’s iconic pose on his favorite step, a place where he will remain forever.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.