Feline lovers will find themselves in heaven in Rome. Among many other things, this ancient city is home to a massive population of domestic and stray cats. There is hardly anyone who has not seen all sorts of souvenirs like mugs, magnets, cotton bags, and whatnot with colorful pictures of feline beauties and the sign “Cats of Rome.”
If you are one of those who love charming furry purring creatures, you will be delighted to learn that you can visit numerous cat sanctuaries in Rome. There, you can enjoy the company of feline creatures of all sorts. You can pet them, play with them, and even sponsor them. How? Let us tell you all about it below.
The Cat Sanctuaries of Rome: Where History Meets the Most Beloved Pets
Sure enough, most developed countries around the world have excellent cat shelters. However, the cat sanctuaries of Rome are truly unique. The reason is that they combine ancient history with the noble mission of helping stray cats.
If you are not familiar with this fact, the cat sanctuaries in the Eternal City are located at some of the most attractive historical sites. Thus, when you visit them, you can both partake in monument sightseeing as well as interact with their furry inhabitants.
Why Is Rome Overpopulated with Cats?
Before we tour Rome’s most prominent cat sanctuaries, let us first discuss why the city has so many purring inhabitants. Since ancient times, the Romans believed that cats were useful domestic animals. They protected their food and health from rodents.
However, in time, the cat population in the city grew. For the record, a single female cat gives birth to three or four litters of kittens per year. A litter contains on average four baby felines. Statistics show that one cat gives birth to 120 kittens on average throughout her life.
Even in modern days, there are still issues with cat birth control in Italy. The country is taking serious steps to limit the procreation of stray cats and motivate domestic cat owners to neuter their pets.
Curious Fact: How Did Ancient Romans Fall for Cats?
This might come as a huge surprise, but early Romans did not always prefer cats as pets. In fact, they used to keep weasels or snakes to guard them off rodents. However, around the second to the fifth century B.C., Romans began to view cats as more suitable pets. The reason was that felines were cleaner than weasels and less dangerous than snakes.
Ancient Solutions to Modern-day Problems
As part of the measures to protect stray cats and limit their population, the city of Rome took an unconventional approach. In 2003, the local city council made a move to turn some of Rome’s most important historical monuments into sanctuaries for stray cats.
Felines, the decision stated, were an essential part of the Eternal City’s cultural bio-heritage. This is how the cats of Rome took an honorable place next to the city’s pine trees and tufa stone. To protect felines, the local authorities created sanctuaries for them in cultural sites, such as the Forum.
Today, the Eternal City is the home to as many as 300,000 stray cats. Most of them inhabit the 4,000 local cat sanctuaries. The shelters that are situated in historical sites are only a few. The rest are located mainly in the suburban and residential parts of Rome.
That said, Rome is not the only “cat city” in Italy. Here is a list of other feline-dominated cities throughout the country:
- Naples
- Turin
- Milano
However, this article concentrates on the cats of Rome, so read on to learn how you can interact with them, adopt them, or support their well-being.
The Top Most Exciting Cat Sanctuaries to Visit in Rome
If you are a tourist in Rome who happens to love cats, we have prepared a few excellent suggestions for you below. This blog post will present to your attention the most interesting cat sanctuaries in the Eternal City to meet some of its amazing felines.
The places on our list are family-friendly, so you can visit them with your kids, too. Children will love the opportunity to socialize with the cats and will also have some quality educational time. Ancient history and cats – could there be a better combination, after all?
The Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary
Largo di Torre Argentina is possibly Rome’s most prominent cat sanctuary. Thanks to its rich history and strong online presence – the shelter has a website and social media profiles with hundreds of thousands of followers – the place has become popular all around the world.
Now that we have tickled your curiosity, let us give you some background. Bringing a massive colony of stray cats to the Largo di Torre Argentina is quite a clever move given the site’s dire history. This monument was where a party of Roman senators stabbed to death the great Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.
Without any doubt, creating a cat sanctuary at the Largo di Torre Argentina is a beautiful idea. There is hardly a more fascinating project than turning the place where one of the world’s most prominent leaders found his tragic demise into a shelter for adorable, four-legged creatures full of life.
The Largo di Torre Argentina Site
If you have never been to the Eternal City, let us explain in more detail what the Largo di Torre Argentina is. The square-shaped site is located in the center of Rome. It was unearthed back in the 1920s when archaeologists found it to contain four temples from the times of the Roman Republic. It is also the home to the famous meeting hall called Curia of Pompey and an ancient theatre.
Interestingly enough, one of the four temples situated in the compound, marked by historians as Temple C, was likely built to honor Feronia. She was a goddess that ruled over wildlife and fertility, along with other realms. The temple is dated back to between the fourth and third century B.C.
Just to give you a brief overview of the rest of the site, Temple A was dedicated to Juturna, who was the goddess of fountains. Temple B belonged to the goddess of fate, Fortuna huiusce diei. Temple D was that of Lares Permarini, the protector of sailors.
If you wish to see a short movie about the restoration of the Largo di Torre Argentina, please check out the video below:
How Did Cats Appear at the Largo di Torre Argentina?
Around 1929, homeless cats began to roam the Largo di Torre Argentina site. This was about the time active excavation took place onsite. Little did archaeologists know that the furry creatures would stay there for more than 60 years. They were cared for by the volunteer cat lovers of Rome, or “gattare,” as the locals call them.
The Largo di Torre Argentina turned out to be the perfect place to shelter stray cats and their offspring. It is conveniently located below street level and away from a straight view, so the animals felt safe and protected.
Finally, in 1993, the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, or the Gatti di Roma, became an official shelter for stray cats. Its inhabitants are now professionally taken care of. They are fed, catered to, and receive regular veterinary help including neutering.
How Do Cats Live at the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary
Many of the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary inhabitants are abandoned at the shelter by people who are unable to take care of them. Once a new cat appears, the gattare give it a name, document its appearance, and provide it with medical care.
Most of the felines at Rome’s most famous cat sanctuary are available for adoption. You can adopt one or even more furry companions. Alternatively, you can sponsor a cat. This practice is also known as “distance adoption.” Sponsoring a cat involves making donations to support its well-being as well as that of the rest of the sanctuary’s inhabitants.
Other Cat Sanctuaries in Rome
While the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is the most popular shelter for abandoned felines in Rome, there are many more. As we mentioned, a few of them are located at other important historical sites throughout the Eternal City. Here is a selection of other cat sanctuaries worth visiting:
Piramide Cestia
The Piramide Cestia, or the Pyramid of Cestius, is another well-known cat sanctuary in Rome. It falls within the Protestant Cemetery compound, near its namesake site – the Pyramid of Cestius. Right on the border between the neighborhoods of Ostiense and Testaccio, it is easily reachable by tram or by the subway.
The Pyramid of Cestius is exceptionally well preserved because it was incorporated into the city fortifications. It was built around 18-12 B.C. as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a high-ranking official and a religious leader. The burial chamber is located in the interior. When it was built, it was decorated with frescoes, which have barely survived to this day.
The monument has undergone significant restoration work. Until May 2015 it was closed to the public because of that. However, today it accepts visitors and hosts feline inhabitants of all shapes and sizes.
Please note that the Piramide Cestia cat sanctuary only accepts visitors while the cemetery is open. The feline shelter has a webpage you can visit and is also active on social media.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum hosts another popular cat population in Rome. Some of the local cats have become tourist attractions and have starred in numerous photographs. Nowadays, the colony is not as large as it used to be, mainly due to the large crowds of visitors who constantly flock to the site.
We doubt that you are unfamiliar with the Colosseum’s background, but let us tell you a few words just in case. Besides being one of the most prominent cat sanctuaries in Rome, the Colosseum is also the largest ancient amphitheater ever built. It is located in the heart of the Eternal City, east of the Roman Forum. The latter, by the way, also houses a few stray cats.
The Colosseum’s construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 72 A.D. It was finished and modified during the time of his successors, Titus and Domitian. The three of them were representatives of the Flavian dynasty. That is why the amphitheater was also called the Flavian Amphitheatre.
The massive construction could host anywhere between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at different points throughout history. It was the arena of gladiatorial contests, different theatrical performances, and reenactments. Gambling in ancient Rome was widespread, and while there are no explicit records of betting on the outcomes of these events in the Colosseum, it is likely that Romans engaged in some form of betting among themselves. The Colosseum was used for entertainment purposes well into the early medieval centuries.
In contrast to the informal betting of ancient times, nowadays, online betting sites have become quite popular, offering a modern way for people to engage in gambling on a wide range of sports and events from the comfort of their homes. According to Plainenglish this shift to digital platforms reflects how entertainment and gambling practices have evolved over centuries, adapting to technological advancements and changing societal norms.
Nowadays, the Colosseum is a top tourist destination in Rome. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit it every year. The upper floor of the construction houses a museum dedicated to Eros. Given its historical significance and the variety of events it hosted, the Colosseum remains a symbol of Roman engineering and culture, attracting not only those interested in its architectural and historical aspects but also those fascinated by the daily lives of ancient Romans, including their practices around entertainment and gambling.
The National Gallery of Ancient Art at Palazzo Barberini
Cats have frequently been portrayed in works of art, so what better place to have a cat sanctuary than the National Gallery of Ancient Art at Palazzo Barberini? The art-loving visitors simply adore the cutesy felines at the site. The latter frequently gather at the gallery’s entrance to cuddle and play with the people waiting outside.
Palazzo Barberini is one of the most beloved tourist locations in Rome, and there is a good reason for this. The palace is the home to masterpieces from the period between the 13th and 18th centuries by famous artists like Raphael, Filippo Lippi, Bernini, Caravaggio, and a lot more. It also comprises parts of the remarkable Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica and the Istituto Italiano di Numismatica.
The place is easily accessible because of its strategic location in Via Quattro Fontane, in the center of Rome and very close to Piazza Barberini. The National Gallery of Ancient Art at Palazzo Barberini is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. That is when you can admire the artwork and enjoy the resident felines.