Roman cats

Bud likes to stalk a pigeon. He does this from inside the flat. The pigeon he stalks is a return visitor, it's acquired a taste for dried cat food. Bud crouches down low as Mr Pigeon pecks at the food in my older cat's bowl on the balcony. The old girl is usually asleep on the balcony. Even when she moves, the pigeon just lazily flutters away. She isn't a menace. 

Bud makes clicking sounds and glares at the pigeon from the safety of the kitchen. It is after all a very big pigeon.

Both Bud and Kitty are of Roman street cat stock. Kitty came to me from the famed cat sanctuary on Largo Argentina in the centre of Rome whereas Bud was abandoned with his siblings in a cardboard box outside a pet shop in the San Lorenzo district of the city. A friend knew I was looking for a kitten and so I got him aged all of six weeks. 

Whenever I visit Roman ruins I always marvel at the cats running about in their magnificent playgrounds jumping from ancient column to ancient stone, running beneath the arches of the aqueducts and reclining in the ruined atrium of an ancient domus.

Sleeping where it can

 

The most beloved cat sanctuary is on Largo di Torre Argentina. Here, back in 44BC, the dictator, Julius Caesar was murdered . Today around 150 stray cats are housed and cared for in a 100 square metre storage room beneath the street and next to the ruins of four ancient temples.

The site was excavated in 1927 following the discovery of a colossal marble head and arms. The large underground chambers that were revealed became a favourite place for the city strays to seek refuge. The cats were fed by a succession of 'gattare' - cat ladies - one of whom was the actress, Anna Magnani who, on breaks from rehearsals at the nearby Teatro Argentina, would stop by the sanctuary to feed and pet the cats. 

By 1993, the amount of cats had grown to such an extent there was too much work for the lone gattara. Two women, Livia and Silvia joined forces and over time with the help of generous donations have built the sanctuary up into what it is today.

They have faced problems, the latest being eviction from the site when it was claimed the shelter had invaded a temple and offended the dignity of the Area Sacra. 

It all came to a head as the archaeological authorities launched a campaign in National papers to turn public opinion against the sanctuary and  politicians stepped forward in defense of the sanctuary. Over 30,000 petitions were collected and the sanctuary was safe.

In 2013, one of the founders, Lia passsed away. Today, there are 150 cats. They and their helpers are still squatters and the underground chamber which houses the shelter is not connected to the city sewers. 

Other famous colonies are those at the Protestant cemetary behind Piramide and at the Verano cemetary where an estimated 500 cats frolic among the tombs.

All over the city there are areas set up with boxes and bowls  for the many strays that live in Rome. The gattare often private citizens or members of voluntary organisations work hard to make sure the cats are well-fed and sterilised. There are an estimated 400 colonie feline (feline colonies) on Roman territory.

 


Many condominium housing complexes also have a cat or mini-colonies that help with the problem of rats. The cats and their gattare, according to a survey mainly middle aged women, are important to the city. And while some people choose to see the street cats as little more than vermin of a similar ilk to pigeons and rats, others realise the important part they play in the city.

Rome just wouldn't be Rome without its cats.

Street cats who got lucky.