And Now That The Winter Cold Is Here - Here's to the Cats of Sabina and Roma!

My pal Dennis honing his computer skills

Ciao Ragatti! I am still waiting for my friend Dennis to hone his computer skills... He is new to all this so it will take some time, but stay tuned. I am sure that he will have a very interesting post as he, being young and more adventurous, explores a much larger territory than I do.

In the meantime, let's talk about the change of the seasons. The last time I wrote I was basically prostrate from the summer hot weather here in Casperia. Sabina's summer heat can be hard on a long haired Vancouver-born tabby, but thankfully I got through that... with some help from my friends...

Me getting some Sabine summer comfort from my good friend Maria

Now, however, my older bones are feeling the winter cold. It is different living in an Italian stone house. It takes longer and, according to my humans, costs more, to heat. I find my paws are colder when I walk on the floor. Thankfully, my humans build a fire almost every other day.

Sometimes they cook sausage and other meat on it and share it with me. I love this wonderful combination of heat and good food. Often, when I am feeling the cold I sit myself down in front of the camino—that's fireplace in Italian, I am told—and look over at my humans. They usually understand and get a fire going.

Me on my chair beside the camino supervising my humans making the fire

There are two ways they cook over the fire... Sometimes they put the sausage and meat directly beside the fire when it is burning strong, but most often, they move the fire in its metal grate and spread hot coals all across the bottom of one side of the camino and place the rack on top of the glowing heat. 

I love it when they do this because the glowing coals throw off a lot of heat. I sit as close to the fire as I can, trying not to get in the way of the cooking, watching the sausages sizzling in the heat, listening to the hiss of the fat as it drips on the glowing coals. Sometimes the mix of smells and anticipation get the better of me. I get up and do a little dance, calling to my humans, letting them know I am having a hard time waiting. 

When I am nibbling on the pieces of just cooled smoky sausage or grilled pork, my humans talk about how the meat is so delicious here in Casperia... that Armando and Alessandra, down at the Macelleria outside the town walls, have the best sausages for miles around, and I believe them. I certainly thank them. I feel pretty lucky...

I know that here in Sabina and in Rome that there are a lot of cats who live without a proper home and have no companion humans to be with them all the time. My pal Dennis was one of those cats. I am so glad he has found wonderful humans who look after him. 

Recently we had a number of different visitors from Canada and the United States. Everywhere they went, the cats of the Sabina came out to greet them.

Like this very friendly cat who came to greet and escort our friends through the ruins of the castle at Catino,

And this friendly tuxedo cat who came out to say hi, and I think mooch, at Trattoria Del Compare at the very top of Roccantica.

There were cats waiting to greet our friends in Rocchette

and these two cats waiting in the sun in historic Montebuono.

Of course, there were lots of wonderful cats to greet them here in Casperia. I have heard that some people jokingly refer to our village as Catsperia because of all the cats here. I am okay with that.

One of my humans getting a good morning kiss from my friend Marzia

Cicciopalla, perhaps the most well known cat in Casperia. His name means "chubbyball"!

Two of our visitors, after spending three nights here in Casperia spent a number of nights after in Rome before heading off to Florence. In Rome one of my humans took them to the Cat Sanctuary at Torre Argentina. 

I wrote about this wonderful facility and the history of the cats of Rome in one of my earlier posts. There are about 150 cats living in this sanctuary which is a set of temple ruins that go back over 2300 years. Volunteers feed, clean and look after these cats seven days a week.

This time, instead of observing the feline residents of the sanctuary from street level, they actually went down inside the sanctuary to visit the volunteer centre and gift shop.

This magnificent long haired great and white cat led the way.

Machiavelli - He is Mr. November in Torre Argentina's 2016 Calendar

Down inside the visitor centre, there were dozens and dozens of cats being looked after and played with by dozens of human volunteers and visiting admirers. If you visit Rome, this place is well worth a visit. Here are a number of photos that were taken during our friends' visit.

Many of the kitties were very happy to see the visitors and wanted to play. Some were shyer and less outgoing.

The important thing is that these once abandoned cats now have a safe home, shelter and good food, veterinary care, and people who love and look after them.  

As you can imagine, maintaining this sanctuary costs a lot of money. There are lots of ways you can help the cats of Torre Argentina and their supporters. These include donations, adopting cats from the sanctuary, and if you live outside Italy you can even adopt a cat long distance.

Another great shot of Machiavelli - Mr. November in Torre Argentina's 2016 Calendar

There is a wonderful Cat Shop inside the sanctuary where you can buy all sorts of wonderful t-shirts, aprons, calendars and other souvenirs. Long distance purchase of some of this merchandise is available online. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Cat Sanctuary of Torre Argentina, or are interested in supporting the work of the volunteers there, here is a link. I can guarantee you that the warm feeling you get from helping out my furry friends will help keep the winter's chill away.

Well, I best get talking to Dennis and see what he wants to do with his guest post. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Miao for now! A presto!

THAT'S AMORE! - An Interview with Paola Raggi, Proud Gattara in Montopoli di Sabina

My humans, Richard and James with Paola and Stella in March of 2014

Smokey: Miao, Paola. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed today. I really appreciate your time. I had heard so much about you from my humans before I came here and it was such a pleasure to meet you in person here in Casperia. I have really been looking forward to this.

I understand from my humans that you live in Montopoli, a couple of towns south from where I live in Casperia, but that you once lived in Canada. Can you tell me this story? I understand that you were actually born here in Italy, moved to Canada, and came back…

Paula Raggi: You're very welcome Smokey... Mio piacere. It's such a long story. I will try not to bore you!

I was born in Sicily many moons ago. We only stayed in Sicily for four years and soon after we moved to Torino. 

Paola with her family in Italy

We lived in Torino—you may know it as Turin—for six years until one day Dad decided to move to Canada. Once I arrived in Canada I soon discovered that I really disliked it—especially the winters! I had no choice, caro Smokey, but I knew that someday, somehow, I would go back to Italy! 

Many years later, and after many not so pleasant events, I finally made it back to Italy! First for a few weeks, and slowly I found myself loving this area, the Sabina, so much that I made it my second home. 

The view of the centro storico of Montopoli above the olive groves near Paola's home

Here is where I met my partner Paolo. I was helping a friend run their agriturismo and Paolo was a client.. The rest is history!

Paola with Stellina on his shoulder

We lived in Fiano Romano at first, in a little apartment. Small but I liked it… It was home!

Count the number of my feral friends in this flower pot!

S: I understand that you and your partner Paolo care for a feral colony of cats on your farm. How many cats live on your farm and how did that come about?

My feral friends signalling to Paola and Paolo that it is meal time

PR: It all started there Smokey. We had a couple of strays come around for meals and shelter. In a short time I found myself with thirteen kittens—yes the three cats were all pregnant! It was crazy to say the least! I had kittens everywhere in my patio. Some were really sick. I had to call the vet for a house call as I could not take all thirteen kittens to him! It was very expensive but I could not do otherwise! Some I lost along the way—they were really sick—but a good number survived! I had to administer the meds twice to three times a day—not an easy job with kittens as you know! One of the mother cats would not nurse her kittens and one of the other mother cats took the kittens like her own and nursed them instead Amazing to say the least, caro Smokey!

Our dog Pia—we had rescued her in 2001 from a bad situation­­­­­­­—she was only a little white fur ball when we found her. Anyway, she got used to the kitten. She was actually licking them and gently playing with them—like a mom would! Pia has lots of love in her little heart!

When it was time to move I found a good home for some of the kittens and the rest we took to the Sabina to Montopoli in the country.

Kaki with her Mom, Kooki

S: Is there any support for people like you from the comune, or other local organizations?

PR: In Montopoli, we started with five cats and, little by little, we became seventeen. We finally were able to find some help with the ASL (health department) of Rieti. Through them we managed to get free sterilization for our feral colony. I had to register my feral colony first. I certainly don’t mind feeding them and taking care or other medical expenses but I could not afford to sterilize them all!

Meal time is sometimes a free for all on the front patio of Paola and Paolo's

S: Where do these cats come from? How to they come to arrive at your door?

PR: Many of my cats are strays. Some are from the same family, and some are left by some cruel human beings! I love each one of them… It takes a lot of patience and love to take care of them, but it all pays off at the end...They give me lots back too!! I think they know that here they will find a shelter, a place where there is lots of love for each one of them!

S: Have you always had cats in your life?

PR: I grew up with cats and dogs and every time I lost one I suffered, but it's worth the pain. Not to have them in my life it would be really a big loss!

S: My favourite word in Italian that I have learned so far is “gattara". How do you respond to that word? Do you consider yourself a gattara?

PR: I am a proud gattara. I don't mind it at all!

S: I can appreciate that looking after a colony of my feral friends is a huge responsibility and that it takes a lot of your energy and time, but what are the rewards… What does looking after my feral friends give you in return?

PR: When I take my walks around the property, I look behind and around me and I see all my little furry babies who follow my every step, side by side, that makes it all worthwhile!! I know that I am blessed!

S: And we are blessed by you Paola. Thank you, and thank Paolo for everything you do for my feral friends.

This post is dedicated to the memory of little Stellina

 

I Gatti Di Roma - The Cats of Rome

Cat at the Colosseo courtesy of romeguide.it

According to what my humans tell me, Rome is a city of cats... Cats have been an important part of the Eternal City's history since ancient times. It seems that the first cats came to Rome from Egypt where cats were considered sacred.

Wadjet-Bast courtesy of Wikipedia

Although the ancient Romans did not worship cats like the Egyptians, they held us in high esteem because of our ability to keep in check the mice and rats that threatened to consume Rome's grain. 

Cat mosaic from Pompeii courtesy of ancient.eu

Pompeii mosaic at the Museum of Naples courtesy thegreatcat.org

Somehow, after the fall of the Roman Empire, things got very bad for us cats in Europe. I don't understand why but cats, during the middle ages, became associated with evil and were killed in great numbers. Black cats especially were targeted for a cruel death.

Illustration of a man about to kill a cat Biblia Porta, 13th C France courtesy of Catster.com

The association between cats and the devil and witchcraft was so strong that people who were kind to cats or kept cats were also persecuted and killed as witches. Our angels were perceived as demons.

The Triumph of Death by Pieter Breugel the Elder

One would almost say a karmic consequence of all this cruelty and carnage was more death, this time for people, in the form of the Black Death, or Bubonic Plague in the 1300s. 

You see, this disease was spread by fleas from rats and mice. With so many cats being killed across Europe the rat population exploded. 

Courtesy Toronto Star

By this time Rome's population had already greatly diminished. Large swathes of the ancient city became uninhabitable due to lack of water. During the barbarian invasions of Rome the ancient aqueducts which brought water to the city were cut and never repaired. The capital of the ancient world fell into ruins. The human population abandoned the seven hills and moved to those parts of the city closest to the Tiber while we cats survived in the silent ruins.

Thankfully, over time, humans in Europe changed their perception of cats and once again we were allowed back into the house. Cat appreciation and how cats are treated seem to differ from country to country. Rome's cats in the ruins became a sort of tourist attraction. Everywhere you go in Rome you see cat calendars with pictures of us basking on a marble statue or posing beside the Colosseo. 

Roman calendar tabby courtesy of webecoist.com

Sadly, these calendar cats are largely without the comfort of a human home. They live in large colonies among Rome's ruins. People estimate that there are about 300,000 feral cats living in about 2,000 colonies in Rome. 

One of my feral buddies drinking in the ruins at Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary

Many of these colonies are looked after kindly people. Such a woman in Italian is known as a gattara, and a man is known as a gattaro.

There are even gattare here in Casperia. My humans say that every day they see a group of dedicated women and men feeding the local feral cats from their own resources. They also say that sometimes these kind people are taken advantage of because heartless, irresponsible people, who are tired of their pets, dump their unwanted cats here in Casperia. 

Sometimes these unhappy kitties get adopted into a home, but those who are not become the burden of the kindly gattare who not only feed these cats, but often look after their veterinarian bills and get these cats spayed and neutered. This can be a very expensive prospect and it is not fair.

My humans say that any person who takes a cat into their home should have their cat spayed or neutered to ensure that there are no more homeless hungry kitties. To me, this just makes sense.

The life of some of these kindly gattare, especially in Rome where there are so many abandoned cats, is hard. Many of them sell the things they have to make money to support the cats they are taking care of. These people are truly angels... and we reward them as we can.

There are also very kind doctors who volunteer their services or provide neutering and spaying for lower fees. My humans have helped me attach a video at the end of this post. It is in Italian... I only understand a little, but I am trying hard to learn. 

I would like to thank my friend Alessandra for this very useful book. Mi aiuta molto, Alessandra. Grazie di cuore!

  

Anyway, please take a look at this video called I Gatti Di Roma, which of course means The Cats of Rome... It is not only the story of the life of these cats, but it also gives you an insight into the lives of the gattare, our angels. Please click the Youtube link below.

 I GATTI DI ROMA - A VIDEO IN MEMORY OF LIA DEQUEL

Miao for now!