300,000 stray and abandoned cats live in Rome. They’ve chosen sites like Piramide Cestia, Verano cemetery, hospitals, and religious institutes for natural habitats. Since these habitats are places where street cats receive food, shelter, and protection, many of them live amongst the ancient ruins of Rome.
Where did all these cats come from? Egypt.
When the ancient Egyptian empire fell, the felines boarded sailing vessels and scattered themselves around the world. Luckily for Rome, some of them ended up here to help maintain the rat problem, which was good during the 14th century when the bubonic plague arrived in Italy.
Unfortunately, the Roman Church considered cats to be witches and began hunting them down. Soon the rat population exceeded that of the cats and the plague engulfed the entire country. But the cats are back and here to stay, however they don’t do too much about the rat population, since the rats have had seven centuries to grow quite large and menacing.
But who looks after the cats?