Sculpture of Istanbul's cat phenomenon 'Tombili' to be inaugurated on Oct 4

A sculpture created in memory of "Tombili," the portly cat who became a social media phenomenon after being photographed posing on a sidewalk in Istanbul's Ziverbey neighborhood, will be inaugurated on Oct. 4 on World Animal Day.
Following a Change.org campaign demanding that the Kadıköy Municipality arrange a commemorative sculpture of Tombili, who died in August, sculptor Seval Şahin voluntarily erected the sculpture demonstrating Tombili's iconic pose on the sidewalk.

The sculpture will be officially inaugurated in the same place where the photo was taken at 1:00 p.m. on World Animal Day.

Tombili, whose fame spread worldwide after his iconic picture appeared on the viral site 9GAG, passed away after a month-long illness on Aug. 1.

His death was announced by a notice hung on a tree in the neighborhood's Güleç Street, reading: "You will live on in our hearts."

According to local residents, Tombili was known for his cool and carefree behavior toward people who tried to play with him, as reflected in the photo of him relaxing on the sidewalk.

As Tombili's photo become popular worldwide, Internet users used it to create various memes, such as photoshopping a glass of rakı or a teacup in front of him.

Istanbul's phenomenal cat Tombili dies

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