Roman Cats

During my recent visit to Rome, there was one place that I wanted to visit above all others.

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary    (click to go to website)

Torre Argentina is the site of ancient ruins where Julius Caesar was killed.
It is also home to hundreds of cats.
And I love cats.

 To enter, you must go down a flight of stairs to an area under the busy road.
We were greeted by this little guy...

but as we looked around, we saw plenty more cats, basking in the sun!

Some looked like cats we see in America,

 but others had a very different look...

When we walked inside, we were welcomed warmly by one of the volunteers who help run the sanctuary and encouraged to look around.

The cats in this section are free to come and go, but prefer interaction with humans.  The skinny cat on the right is about 20 years old.  He is losing his fur and not very pretty, but he would reach out a paw to elicit a head rub!  One of the ladies that volunteers here brings him home-made meals to encourage him to eat more!

Torre Argentina is a no-kill shelter.  Unlike America, in August of 1991, Italy passed a law regarding stray cats saying that, “it is forbidden for anyone to mistreat stray cats.” The law also provided provisions for a No Kill policy stating, “stray cats can be put to sleep only if severely ill or incurable.”

In ancient times,  Romans valued cats for their ability to control rodents in the temples.  There are estimated to be 300,000 feral cats in Rome living in over 2000 colonies. They continue to do the same job today.

There is another room in the shelter for those cats that cannot roam freely due to illness or injuries.

  It is here that most of the visitors stayed.

Many of the cats enjoyed the human touch.

This cat is blind.  It jumped into the lap of a girl also visiting from the United States.  We were told that many kittens are born blind when the mother carries the herpes virus.

In Rome, when litters of kittens are born, they are often thrown into dumpsters or put in plastic bags and thrown into the river.  Young kittens brought to Torre Argentina are fostered outside of the shelter due  to the risk of them catching something at the shelter.  Then they are either adopted or brought to the shelter to live.

Shelters in Italy are NOT funded by the government, so they must rely on donations.  This shelters had a gift shop with t-shirts and lots of over-priced cat trinkets, but nearly everyone who was visiting the day I was there bought something before they left, knowing it would benefit the cats.

The money is used for vet bills for sick cats, but also for sterilization of the cats.  In an effort to reduce the growth of the cat population, they use TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) where cats are trapped, sterilized, and returned to their colonies.

Outside the sanctuary, in the archeological site when Caesar was murdered, lives a colony of cats.
When walking by on the street, it is not immediately evident that so many cats live here.

But as you stand and look more closely,  it's like reading a Waldo book.
Find the cats!

 There are at least 6 cats in the picture above.

Before I left, I made a donation.  I had intended to buy myself a pair of Italian leather shoes for my birthday.  After witnessing the loving care of the volunteers and all the good they do, I decided I didn't need shoes after all.

If you are a cat lover and are interested in learning more and watching some fun videos, please continue.  I especially love the last one about Kenneth and Penelope!