A cat sanctuary nestled among the ruins of ancient Roman temples is proving to be a major attraction for tourists interested in taking a stray back home.
Europeans, especially Germans, are eager to adopt the strays but some Roman cats have found a home as far away as California, said Silvia Viviani, founder of the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary.
Other visitors leave donations or agree to long-distance 'adoptions' for strays they'll help to support.
"Now is the perfect time to come and see the cats. They've been vaccinated and neutered and are completely pest free. They're a delight to see," said Viviani.
The sanctuary normally feeds and cares for a colony of some 400 strays but it overflows in August when more cats are abandoned by owners leaving Rome on holiday.
"At the moment, we can't deal with more strays. We're just accepting ones that are blind or so sick that they'd die if left on their own," said Viviani.
"The problem is not just cats being abandoned but that since the majority are not neutered they tend to breed even more strays," said volunteer Andy De Paoli.
The Torre Argentina cat sanctuary was set up in an underground cave that is part of a central Rome archeological site, including the temple where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.
When it started up fifteen years ago it was a makeshift place with a concrete floor and very low ceilings that did not even have electricity.
While the facilities are still basic, it is now one of the largest sanctuaries in Rome - there are about ten based at historic sites in the city - which are trying to deal with Rome's massive stray-cat problem.
There are an estimated 180,000 strays in Rome, many living among ruins of the ancient city, in the archeological sites around the town, and even among the gravestones in the English Cemetery which hosts the burial place of poets John Keats and Percy Shelley.
Many who are not lucky enough to find shelter in a sanctuary are cared for by the numerous 'Gattare' or 'Cat Ladies', traditionally older women who feed and care for their local street cats.
CATS WALK AREA WHERE JULIUS CAESAR WAS ASSASSINATED.
The Torre Argentina sanctuary, Viviani stressed, survives entirely on donations, the majority of which come from tourists who see the cats when passing, and voluntary help.
"The situation is dramatic in August and the generosity of tourists who leave donations isn't enough," said volunteer Cristiano Arezzini, urging locals and visiting Italians to do their bit.
"Come visit a fascinating place and adopt a cat while you're here," he urged.
The sanctuary has seven or eight helpers a day, including a number of foreigners living in Rome.
The real problem, they say, is that not enough cats are sterilised in Rome to keep the population in check.
Sterilisation programs are minimal, and it would take a year and a full-time team to try to tackle the city's stray population, the volunteers say.
Sterilisation is not a cheap operation in Italy - costing around 120-150 euros.
The Torre Argentina sanctuary sterilises 1200 cats a year using vets who charge a fifth of the normal rate.
All the cats are also vaccinated and put up for adoption - and around 350 cats a year find new homes.
Taking care of the sanctuary's strays costs around some 75 euros per cat per year and money is always short.
So in a bid to help fill the sanctuary's coffers, every afternoon volunteers shed their caretaker role and act as tour guides for tourists who want to see the spot where Brutus, Cassius and other conspirators who stabbed Caesar to death.
