While animal rights are not a major consideration for the average Italian, the welfare of the country's huge cat population is a fascinating exception. Most of Italy's cats are semi-wild, although it can be hard to pick the strays from the pets just out for a stroll - the strays are often just as well fed and contented, thanks to the army of women who give them leftover pasta. In Rome, there are an estimated 10,000 cat colonies, many located in archaeological areas, such as the Colosseum and Trajan's Forum. Some 500 of these colonies are under veterinary supervision, either by private animal-welfare groups or by the city's own services. Since the introduction of an extraordinarily humane law in 1988, Rome's stray cats are guaranteed the right to live where they're born - which means local people can't chase them away, whatever problems they cause.

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