For Ateş, walking between desks, stepping on notebooks and resting inside a school bag is just a regular day. Ateş may be a cat but don't be mistaken, he is no regular cat. He has actually enrolled in an elementary school in İzmir.
Teacher Züleyha Can adopted Ateş three years ago when he was just a baby. As there was no one to look after the cat when she was gone, she asked permission from the school administration to bring Ateş to class with her. When the administration gave her the green light, Can started to show up to the class with a cat bag on her arm.
One might think that a cat could be a great distraction for the children in a classroom but on the contrary, the children are actually more motivated in their lessons thanks to Ateş.
"Ateş is my best friend," says Mehmet Ali Çelik, a fourth grader. If we behave during the lessons and complete our homework, we are allowed to play with Ateş. We are happier when he is with us in class," Mehmet says.
