Cat Lovers of Rome Unite in 'Cat Pride' March

Yahoo! News ^ | 2/22/03 | Rueters - Rome

[NormsRevenge]

Cat Lovers of Rome Unite in 'Cat Pride' March

ROME (Reuters) -

A couple of thousand cat lovers turned out for Rome's first "Cat Pride" march on Saturday to demand protection and funding for the city's thousands of strays.

Donning whiskers, bearing signs and in some cases cradling cats in their arms, protesters streamed by the Colisseum and ancient Fori Imperiali ruins, home to many "sacred strays" which Rome declared a part of its historical heritage last year.

The stray cats have been slinking through the ruins since they were first excavated and their protectors believe they are descendants of felines who stalked Roman temples in the time of Julius Caesar more than 2,000 years ago.

But cat rights groups say the city's 150,000 abandoned moggies get far from imperial treatment from residents.

Last year, a string of stray cat killings sparked fears of a feline serial killer and highlighted the city's love-hate relationship with domestic animals who are often abandoned on the streets.

On Saturday, the city's "gattare," or "cat ladies," marched to demand government aid for cat shelters and neutering programs and more help from the general public in protecting and feeding the animals.

"The cat ladies and men of Rome are finally coming out of the closet!" organizers declared in posters.

[LibKill]

Why don't you tell us what you REALLY think.

I don't want to be banned, that's why. :)

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

People who do not have control over their
pets should not cry when someone gets
sick of it.

But if you can come up with a better way I
will go along with it.

[FoxGirl]

I'll get back with you on this.

[LibKill]

Click Here. (Will open in window.)

Silent, deadly. Excellent for use inside city limits.

[Steve0113]

The cat in post #1 looks awfully familiar. Is it just a coincidence, or there really that many cats that look exactly alike?

[nina0113]

If you really have to kill them, the safest way to do it is to live-trap them and (NOT MOVE THEM) shoot them then. I don't think anyone will hear a pellet gun, and they certainly won't hear a slingshot with steel ball bearings. I wouldn't touch them with bare hands, they undoubtedly carry all sorts of disease.

Deliberately leaving pans of poison around is also an invitation to a lawsuit.

I don't have a problem with killing the cats - my sister has a feral cat problem that I have offered to help her with, but she is softhearted. Her husband is softHEADED - he cleans fish & leaves them the scraps.

Poison, especially antifreeze, is gratuitous cruelty, though not quite as bad as glue traps for mice.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[nina0113]

Great minds think alike! That's what my grandmother used to use to run dogs out of her garden - she had one of those, and a coffee can full of gravel, at the ready at her kitchen window.

[nina0113]

Yes, there really are that many that look exactly like that.

[FoxGirl]

I strongly suggest that you call your local Humane Society and/or Animal Shelter for some help with your problem.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

They just laughed and said they only handled
mad dogs.
But if i brought them to the shelter they
would take them for a small donation.

[LibKill]

If you're not into slingshots, here are some more alternatives.

Click Here. (Will open in window.)

Silent. Deadly. And FUN!

Please put away the antifreeze.

FReegards, FRiend.

[FoxGirl]

I'm very sorry to hear that was their response. Let me see what else I can find out.

[PoisedWoman]

Rome's cats may be homeless, but are, for the most part, tame and well fed. Italians like their cats, and often bring boxes of kittie crunchies to parks to feed the little darlings. Woe to anyone who would harm them. They could use a free vet clinic, however.

[CARepubGal]

ROFLOL! Dogs have masters and Cats have staff. :-) Of course there is the old sac..Cat...river trick aka the Kennedy method

[CARepubGal]

ROFLOL! Dogs have masters and Cats have staff. :-) Of course there is the old sack..Cat...river disposal trick aka the Kennedy method

[PoisedWoman]

Photo from cat shelter in rome. Cats have always roamed the ruins, even before they were ruins.

[shhrubbery!]

Jeez, I can't believe the people on here who want to poison cats.

Folks, if feral cats are becoming too big a nuisance to bear, then PLEASE call your local animal control office and ask them to humanely trap, then euthanize them if necessary.

I've tamed and adopted several of the critters myself. True, that isn't always possible to do, but it's wonderfully rewarding when you can.

[nina0113]

We stopped in there when we were in Rome in 01. There was a cat there who looked just like my old Maine Coon, who went to his reward in 2000. He didn't understand English, though, and I don't know any cat-endearments in Italian, so it wasn't a very successful meeting.

[Nowhere Man]

Rome's cats may be homeless, but are, for the most part, tame and well fed. Italians like their cats, and often bring boxes of kittie crunchies to parks to feed the little darlings. Woe to anyone who would harm them. They could use a free vet clinic, however.

Being an owner of nine cats myself as well as a cat lover, this is one march that I would have been proud to be a part of. My aunt and uncle went to Rome a few years ago and they did feed some of the cats. About taking in feral cats, I've took in a few myself and although they might still be a little aloof at times, they do learn to socialize and be good indoor cats. Too bad they all can't have good homes though.