The heartwaming story of ‘Room 8,’ loving schoolhouse cat immortalized in gravestone
Visit the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas, California, and you'll discover the final resting place of numerous famous pets, such as the Little Rascals' Pete the Pup and Tarzan's Jiggs the chimpanzee.
However, one feline grave marker, in particular, draws the attention of many visitors - that of a cat with an unusual name, "Room 8." Who was this cat, and what's the story behind his unique moniker? Keep reading to learn the heartwarming tale of this exceptional cat!
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Back in 1952, a gray striped shorthair tabby cat wandered into the Elysian Heights Elementary School in Echo Park, California. As recounted in his 1966 biography, "A Cat Called Room 8," the cat roamed around the classroom, and the students took turns petting him. They offered the famished feline their lunches, and he grew attached to them, following them everywhere they went.
The students decided to name the cat "Room 8," after their classroom, and the cat remained at the school for the entire academic year.
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When the school year was through, Room 8 would disappear for the summer… only to return again when the children came back to class.
This continued for years and years, and many classes of kids got to know Room 8.
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“My first recollection of Room 8 was Miss Mason introducing him to our kindergarten class,” former student Angie Nicolai recalled in a post from Explore Historic California. “I remember thinking that he was a big cat in her arms. She wanted us to know that he belonged to the school and that there may be times he would come into our classroom to visit. She put him down and he immediately jumped up on the desk next to the window to take a nap in the warm sun.”
Room 8 became a local celebrity. News cameras would show up at the school to take photos of the cat’s return. He received hundreds of letters in fan mail.
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Room 8’s story was the subject of a documentary, a book and a three-page feature in Look magazine.
The cat resided in the classroom until the mid 1960s, when his health began to decline. He was reportedly injured in a cat fight and suffered from feline pneumonia. A family who lived near the school took him in.
Room 8 died on August 13, 1968 at the age of 21. After he died, the cat received a huge outpouring of love: he reportedly had a three-column obituary in the Los Angeles Times that received nationwide coverage, and students raised money to purchase the gravestone that is still standing.
In 1972, the Room 8 Memorial Cat Foundation was set up in the cat’s honor and continues to operate today. And at Elysian Heights Elementary School, Room 8’s legacy lives on: he is featured on a mural and his pawprints are immortalized in cement in the sidewalk.
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What an incredibly heartwarming tale! It's evident that Room 8 was beloved by everyone who crossed paths with him and is still remembered fondly by many even after decades have passed. This story underscores the profound impact an ordinary cat can have on numerous people's lives.
Be sure to spread this heartwarming story!
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