Italy's state funded archaeologists have their hands full, what with the ruins of Pompeii, the Colosseum, and Nero's Golden House falling down due to underfunding, incompetence and neglect. Yet, instead of facing these big issues, they have declared war on Rome's stray cats and the dedicated volunteers that care for them.
One legend has it that the cats descend from the lions of ancient times. Once eating Christians was disallowed, they adapted by making do with handouts and the occasional mouse and evolved over time to their current dimunitive size.
Whether this legend is true or not, Italian authorities have certainly declared the cats officially part Rome's "bio-cultural patrimony."
So its high time to protect the cats against Italy's archaeologists and cultural bureacrats.