Cat sancutary in Rome

Essentially, it's a one block pit ( 2 stories below street level ) with tons of cats.There is generally a table set up on the southern end to accept donations.

I visited it in 2006 and 2009. Its fun for 15-20 minutes if you are in the area and miss you cats at home.

What kind of information are you looking for?

Basically, as other have mentioned, it is an arch. excavation located on about one small block of Largo Argentina. Since the original level is much lower than the current street level, it does indeed form a pit of sorts and is fenced off. Somewhere along the line, since there is no shortage of cats in Rome, it became an organized sanctuary for cats. The ruins, and I suppose the cats are a good walk-by and a few pictures, would not go out of my way to see, but it is well located on the path between the Forum/Palatine/Capitoline Hill and Campo di Fiori, as well as being a major bus stop area and the starting point for Tram 8 into the Trastevere.

It is said that Julius Caesar was murdered at or very near Largo Argentena. That fact added interest for me - along with the cats. Here is someone's video of the site.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siB5mM3Iy30

Hello Jeff, I cant really supply any additional infomation on the Roman cat sanctuary, but we stumbled upon it by accident. My wife and I were staying at Hotel Smeraldo, which is nearby. We had crossed over Largo Argentina numerous times but not at the location near the excavations/cat sanctuary and we had no idea that it was there. That is until we sprinted across the street dodging street cars and we came to a stop near a railing. To our astonishment there were Roman ruins right under our noses and we saw a small population of feral cats that were being tended to. This made us love Rome even more, as we have two rescued cats at home. It was one of the spontanious/memorable Italian experiences that one never forgets. Cordiali Saluti,
David

We spent about half an hour there visiting the kitties and the volunteers. It is an impressive operation. They have significantly reduced the feral cat population in Rome through their spay/neuter-release program. Very dedicated volunteers. You can adopt from the sanctuary and bring a cat back to the U.S. Of course, the cats only "speak" Italian. ;-0

I made a point to stop there, pet some cats & give a donation when in Rome in 2009. It's a worthy organization. One of the volunteers was very gracious and appreciative and she kept motioning for me to go into the little room where the kittens were, but I remember the smell being pretty strong so I couldn't wait to leave. I know they can really use donations so if you're in the area you might stop in. I heard that someone gives tours of the ruins there as well but we couldn't figure out who & when. It was neat to take pictures of the cats lying all over the ruins!

Jeff, the cat sanctuary is supported by volunteeers, donations, and the sale of "cat" items (cups, calendars, etc.). At any given time, they are caring for up to 250 "stray" cats! It's the largest cat sanctuary in town, but not the only one. There's also another large one inside the Non-Catholic Cemetery located next to Piramide train station.

I was there just a few days ago and I saw fewer cats than ever before but they're all obviously fat and happy and neutered. They do a wonderful job there.

Thanks. I as veterinarian and really interested in cat rescues.
Just wondered what was going on there.