Stari Grad - locally named 'Paiz', 2024.
It was a cold and rainy day. Children were hurrying to school. The school bell rang, lessons started.
One pupil was running, in a hurry to arrive. Sixth-grader Dragutin, aged 12, was always late. At the entrance to the school he saw a ginger cat, all wet, trying to shelter from the rain in the doorway. Afraid that the boy would chase him away, the cat was just about to run away when the boy looked him in the eye and whispered gently and kindly "Don't go, stay here until the rain stops." The cat blinked slowly at him, showing the boy that he understood and trusted him. Delighted with the response, the boy blinked back in the same vein at the cat and went into his classroom with a lightened heart.
He spent the whole day thinking only about the ginger cat and how to help him. "He's certainly hungry, he must be cold; he's really tame, so he definitely needs some love and care, someone to stroke him..." That night the boy couldn't sleep, he could hardly wait for the day to break. He came to school early before veryone else, in the hope of finding the cat, but he wasn't there. Then, looking around, he found him behind the building. His heart filled with happiness, his face glowed with a big smile.
With his friends, Dragutin made a plan: they would make a house for the cat and create a piggy-bank to collect money for his food.
They decided to call the cat Azriel, after the ginger cat owned by Gargamel in the Smurfs cartoons. The plan was accepted enthusiastically by the school caretaker Ivan Vranjican, cleaners Lidija Aleši, Marika Matešić and Meri Pavičić, Director Linda Kuničić and many of the teachers and pupils, who all proved to be dedicated animal lovers with a special affection for cats.
The cat-house was created in the blink of an eye and the piggy-bank was quickly filled with enough money for food and veterinary care. Azriel settled in completely and became a true school cat, waiting eagerly every day for the bell to ring for the main break...
As for Dragutin, he's never late for school now!
Gratitude is owed to everyone who helps animals in need. Azriel, now the guardian of the Petar Hektorović elementary School in Stari Grad, also sends his warm greetings and thanks to all of you.
Eco Hvar is grateful to Vinka Šurlin, Director of the Stella Maris Choir and teacher at the school for sharing this heart-warming story with us.
And then...
As reported in the regional newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija on September 30th 2024, Azriel had a past! During the hot summer school holidays of 2024, Azriel was taken in by neighbour Sanja. When he injured his paw, she took him to the local vet, who discovered he had a micro-chip which revealed he was called Cezar and belonged to a family in Hvar Town. This led to an emotional joyful reunion with his delighted owners, opening up another happy phase in this lucky cat's life!
