A Cat Called "Room 8"
A stray cat wandered into a classroom at Elysian Heights Elementary School in 1952.
After coming back to the classroom several mornings in a row, the children decided to name him after the number of their room -- "Room 8."
He was loved and cared for by the students. When "Room 8" came back to school after each summer vacation, he suddenly became famous.
Newspapers sent reporters and photographers to the school. Television stations told the story of "Room 8."
He was featured in Look Magazine, Cats magazine, and the Weekly Reader. His picture was taken every year with the 6th grade graduating class.
"Room 8" never missed a day of school in 16 years until his death in 1968. His estimated age was 22 years. He is buried under a beautiful headstone in the Los Angeles Pet Memorial Park in Calabasas, California.
A book entitled A Cat Called Room 8 was written about him in 1966 by Virginia Finley and Beverly Mason (New York: Putnam, c1966). It is available at several libraries: Burbank Library (one copy at the Central Library and Buena Vista branch in the 'Juvenile Grade 3 and 4 Books' section), Glendale Library (in Special Collections, Call No. 636.88 F), and Los Angeles Library (in the Children's Lit. Dept.; 3 reference copies, 1 copy available for check-out).
Read more about "Room 8"...
- see the Echo Park Historical Society webpage.
- Article "Classy cat remembered" (pdf, 60 kb) (originally published and available online 4/1/08 at dailybreeze.com; now also available at Free Library)
