Updated 2008
Almost 20 centuries have passed since then, but Caesar's spirit surely lives on in some of our aristocratic cats who rule over their temples with pride.

The 'gattare'
1929 was the year the sacred area of Torre Argentina was excavated. This was also the year the history of the cats residency began. Stray and abandoned felines took refuge in the protected area below street level. From 1929 until 1993, the cats were more or less regularly fed by a succession of cat ladies or 'gattare' as they are called condescendingly by the Romans.

Filmstar
One of the most famous of these cat lovers (the term we prefer) was the great Italian filmstar Anna Magnani. While working at Teatro Argentina which borders the ruins, Ms. Magnani would spend her breaks feeding her four legged friends. This film legend, famous for her heart-tugging performances, died in the 1960's.

Silvia Viviani's Story
Lia, my partner, and I began working with the cats in 1994, when we began helping a woman who was running the show alone. Feeding, spaying and neutering all the cats. This woman's generous efforts put her on the verge of economical and emotional collapse. Lia and I soon realised there was a lot more work to do than the three of us could manage. In that year our cat population was 90 and growing quickly due to irresponsible people leaving for summer vacation and abandoning their cats and kittens.

The underground shelter
Our working conditions were primitive to say the least. A cave like excavated area under the street had been opened by the city of Rome ( albeit not willingly ) before we arrived on the scene. This space was about 100 sq. meters and we began using it as a night shelter for the cats as well as a storage place for food. I can't tell you how difficult and frustrating our job was. We were caring for more than 90 cats in a damp underground space, which in many places is too low to stand up straight and lacked electricity and running water. For almost a year and a half we labored like this hoping for a break through or someone to guide us through this dark period.

A.I.S.P.A.
Our prayers were answered in 1995 when our savior arrived, an English woman named Molga Salvalaggio. She told us about the incredible achievements of some English organizations who worked in the field of animal protection and put us in contact with A.I.S.P.A. (Anglo-Italian Society for the Protection of Animals). A.I.S.P.A. was the first organisation to give us material as well as moral support. In addition, they introduced us to English resources concerning cats and overcoming problems. We studied this invaluable information and we began the slow process of imitating English role models.

United Nations for cats
The first job was to raise desperately needed funds. Our primitive location had one great advantage; it was a tourist attraction because of the historical and archaeological significance of the ruins. Painfully swallowing our pride and embarrassment we started approaching tourists who seemed more interested in the cats than the ruins. Unbelievably it worked! Not only did we collect needed cash, we also managed to attract a certain number of volunteers; mostly women of many different nationalities, Italian, French German, American, English, Brazilian and Dutch. We became a sort of United Nations for cats. To raise more money we started organizing fundraising dinners, raffles and flea market sales. In September of 1998, a Captain of the U.S. Navy, John Henriksen and his wife Cheryl generously opened their home to 120 people for a dinner, auction and raffle. Later, Alexandra Richardson, wife to the British Ambassador allowed us to hold a fundraiser at her residence, taking time out of her busy schedule to help us. Our cats were entering in the world of international diplomacy!

A new burst of enthusiasm
With the newly found income we were able to improve the quality of food we were using. Our new burst of enthusiasm motivated us to become more professional and organized in our daily operations. After the Torre Argentina cats are fed, spayed, and given the necessary medicine, our funds are shared with the poorer sanctuaries around Rome. Spaying and neutering are priorities.

Update 2008
Today, 14 years after Silvia and Lia founded the Sanctuary, much has changed except the fact that we are still squatters and are still not attached to the city sewer system but the conditions in the shelter have much improved.
Thanks again to AISPA, we now have heating and air conditioning; it has made a big change in the condition of the sick cats in cages and old cats in the nursery. It has also made life for the volunteers in the office much easier!
We now have a real floor that can be washed, it contributes significantly not only to the general hygienic condition of the shelter but also to its look because the white ceramic tiles brighten the dark underground premises. Lia's garden was paved too, now it is a patio with thriving flowers, plants and trees and even a little bench!
The most recent improvement was the urgent and necessary overhaul of the electrical wiring, now the cats are really safe, finally!
Improvements in healthcare and quality food (see “Healthcare”) have contributed to a better quality of life for our cats.

Facts and figures
By the end of 2007, we had a total of 1598 cats brought into the shelter from different colonies in Rome for sterilization by our veterinarians in their surgeries.
1389 Cats were returned to their original colony, Trap/Neuter/Release.
209 cats were kept in the Sanctuary because they were unfit to return to the street because of old age, blindness, handicaps or injuries that needed prolonged care.
174 cats were adopted, many in Rome, many found homes in different European countries but several left for the US and even Australia!
The total number of sterilizations came to 3722. (this number includes vouchers handed out to people of limited income to have cats sterilized by veterinarians participating in our sterilization program)

Our cats rule over their temples

Just one eye but still a beautiful cat.

Cats between the ruins