The Unlikely Cat Sanctuary in Rome

Dear Cat Lovers,

Here’s a place that’s going to light your heart on fire.

The place is Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary in Rome, where cats roam among grand and historical ruins. But they’re not just any old ruins. It is here where Julius Caesar, the great Roman leader, breathed his last breath, where he was murdered by Brutus and his many conspirators in 44 BC.

It’s hard to believe that this archaeological minefield is today a shelter to around 250 cats and has aided over 3000 cats since its humble beginnings in 1929 after the square of Largo di Torre Argentina was excavated.

Further threats

However, the place has recently found itself at the centre of a debate that could lead to its closure. City heritage officials have threatened to close the sanctuary on the basis that they deem it unhygienic. Furthermore, claiming it was built without proper planning permission and compromises one of Italy’s most important archaeological sites.

This frustrates me. How can city heritage officials grumble about it compromising one of Italy’s most important archaeological sites when they let millions of visitors each year stampede through the Colosseum, the most important archaeological site in the whole of Rome?

The Cat Sanctuary is a tiny cave-like refuge that works to benefit society and offers charity to sick and helpless cats. It’s so small that you’d miss it if you weren’t specifically looking for it. The important thing to know is that only cats – those graceful, lithe creatures – are free to wander around the ruins.

“If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much.”

~ Mark Twain

History of Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary

Until the mid-1990s the cats survived on generous donations from ‘cat ladies’ (God bless them). However, that all changed in 1995 after an English woman named Molga Salvalaggio put them in touch with the A.I.S.P.A. (Anglo-Italian Society for the Protection of Animals).

The organisation helped them set up with proper materials, resources, and moral support. From that day forward a proper care system was born. This eventually lead to an increase in the number of cats brought into the clinic.

What’s more, the interest and exposure of the sanctuary has encouraged more volunteers and public donations to ensure the upkeep of the place.

It’s also possible to adopt cats at Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. I was told from a volunteer, Sarah, who is originally from Canada, that several have been placed with new owners from all around the world.

If adopting a cat to live with you isn’t practical, there’s also an option of supporting a cat long distance for a small donation per month. This money then goes towards much required food and any medical treatment.

Inside the cat sanctuary

The healthy cats are free to roam around the ruins but the poorly ones are permanently cared for indoors.

Many of these cats have been in road accidents or are blind due to untreated infections. As a result, the cats move around really precariously, this makes them very endearing to watch indeed.

I fell in love with a black one with a fractured jaw after being in a road accident, and as a consequence, its little tongue constantly poked out from its mouth.

As well as caring for sick and homeless cats, the sanctuary also offers an extensive spay and neuter program to keep the feral population in check.

I can’t think of another city which needs a cat sanctuary more than Rome because if there’s one problem that Rome struggles with, it’s traffic. Cars roar across the city like lightening and send a bolt of pedestrians into a scrambling frenzy of tadpoles, so Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary really is a sanctuary in the purest sense of the word. I really hope it doesn’t get shut down.

For more information visit their website here.

Planning a trip to Rome? You might also like…

• Villa Borghese: Finding Tranquillity in the Chaos of Rome
• The Bone Cemetery: Visiting Capuchin Crypt in Rome
• Keats-Shelley Memorial House in Rome
• Architecture in Rome: 5 Contemporary Buildings You Should See

Would you like to visit or support Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary in Rome?