The Cats of Rome

Rome's cats are different...every tourist who visits the city senses it! Unlike the fluffy and sometimes aloof balls of fur you're likely to know, Rome's cats are mostly feral, prowling ancient monuments as if they owned them and answering to no one.

There are estimated to be 250,000 feral cats in Rome living in over 2000 colonies. Rome's city council has recently come out in favor of the cat's existence in Rome by citing their ancient heritage: "there is a deep-rooted affection for these cats who have an ancient bond with the city." The city council even went so far as to protect the cats, in 2001 naming cats living in the Coliseum, the Forum and Torre Argentina a part of the city's "bio-heritage."

And if you are wondering about the social interactions between cats and humans in Rome, you have to know that the fat tabbies lolling at the base of those Roman columns are fed in the lean times by the affectionate Gattare, or "Cat Women." Not everyone in Rome, of course, holds a fondness in their hearts for their neighborhood Gattara - or for the cats - but it hardly matters to the healthier ones, who augment their meals outside the finest of Rome's eateries. In Summer there are pigeons, mice and lizards to be had in the excavations and nearby fields as well. In antiquity, the cat was highly valued for just this activity - defending mankind against rodent borne diseases like the plague!

Here follows a list of the most important cat colonies of Rome:

- Largo di Torre Argentina;
- Colosseum;
- Roman Forum;
- Piramide.