When I die, bury me in Rome, and plant catnip on my grave so that some of the over 4,000 cat colonies in that city can come visit and roll all over my final resting place.

I have no idea where I heard the term gattara before, it was certainly on social media and my brain immediately circled around it, squeezing it tightly like a cat curled around a mouse toy. An Italian woman who feeds alley cats. A cat woman.

As a woman of a certain age with a last name that has 9 letters and ends in a vowel, someone please regularly remind me that I am absolutely a gattara and proud. of. it.

This book is not fancy, nor is it pretentious. This is what it is. A love letter from a woman who knew of the cat colonies and hunted for them. Who got on the ground and crawled in the crevices and found as many furry babies as she could, sweet and grumpy, old and young, limber and loaf.

The pictures aren't ahhhht. They're cat photos, the kind of photos I live for most. Cats glaring, cats ignoring, photos where I am 1,000% sure there IS NO CAT THERE but having cats myself, I know they're hiding in the background.

Get me to Rome, and put catnip in my pockets. I need to meet these cats, promptly.

This was really endearing! I loved seeing all the pictures of Rome and the cats are cute. This is divided into different sections each featuring a new location and each chapter intro tells the history of the location. The photos are all beautiful. This was really enjoyable and I would recommend it to animal lovers! Special Thank You to Traer Scott, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book with photos of cats in Rome. What an absolutely perfect combination! I think I’ll need to buy the print version!

I really enjoyed this peak into the lives of the cats of Rome! This would be a great coffee table book for any cat lovers and travelers out there. Reading through the author's stories and experiences trying to meet all of the cat colonies throughout the city made me want to travel to these places myself. I also loved learning about the culture and customs surrounding the feral cat colonies as a cat lover myself. It was interesting seeing how the colonies have adapted and changed over time as the author describes their previous visits to the city compared to their more recent excursions.

Of course the photos are also gorgeous and capture the history of Rome alongside the every day lives of these cats. All in all a joy to read!

In this charming 144-page book, award-winning animal photographer Traer Scott shares photographs of eight of the feral cat colonies of Rome. I loved learning about Rome’s love affair with cats. In 1991, the Italian Parliament passed Law 281, which prohibits the harm or forcible relocation of cats, gives cats the right to be fed, and mandates that local authorities provide free neutering. Scott discusses the culture of gattare, the cat ladies who volunteer to care for the various feral cat colonies.

I enjoyed both the text and the photographs of the cats, taken in various historic sites around Rome. I was surprised at how plump many of the cats are; you can see that the gattare keep them well fed.

This book would make a wonderful gift for any cat lover or anyone interested in Roman culture.

Thanks to Princeton Architectural Press for providing me with an electronic ARC through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I love cats so I was excited to see so many beautiful photographs, it has definitely added to my future plans to visit Rome.

Short recipe for a great book: Cats? Check. Italy? Check.

Cats of Rome is a photo-heavy coffee table book that chronicles the many feral cat colonies in Rome, Italy and the gattari (cat ladies) who take care of them. Descriptions of where you can find said cats, along with a map and multiple pictures are included. The author also starts the book with a background story of how she discovered the many cats and her perseverance in photographing them. What a cool job.

I'm pretty bummed I didn't know about all of this when I was in Rome, but now I have another excuse to head back.

Recommended for cat and travel lovers.

Thank you Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I have to confess that I was more interested in this book for the scenes of Rome than I was for the cats, but it's a well account of both brief backgrounds of the sites where the cats were photographed and the photos of the cats themselves. I enjoyed the historical background on the feral cats in Rome--I confess I'd heard about the cat colonies but had never seen a cat in Rome. The author's difficulty in tracking down the elusive cats at some of these sites explains why.

This is a beautiful book that lovers of cats and Rome will enjoy. #CatsofRome #NetGalley

Was kind of expecting a little better quality photos. I also wish that there were more photos of what we were reading. Like examples of the cats from the Colosseum gift shop would’ve been perfect. I think this is a great concept still and absolutely adorable, fun, and inspiring. I love Rome and sad that I didn’t see any cats when I visited. I did enjoy learning more about these creatures as well as the beautiful culture they reside in.
Thank you Chronicle Books for a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Like the title says, this is a book of photos of street cats in Rome. Simple, a good coffee table book, and filled with cats living in historical sites in Rome.

The cats are cute, of course, and you learn a bit about the street cats are culture in Rome and a bit about historic sites as well. The introduction gives off a bit of a random person’s vacation blog which wasn’t as interesting, but if you want to see pictures of cats, this is your book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Cats of Rome is a cute book. I had no idea there were so many stray cat colonies in Rome so it was informative. The photography is okay and what has let me down a bit; there are several great photos but most of them leave something to be desired, usually in the way of composition. I looked up this photographer and her other photos are stunning so this could be an issue of just the ARC file having low-quality images (which it definitely does). It seems like it will be a fairly small physical book at roughly 7x8 inches and 144 pages. I see enough potential that I'm very tempted to get the kindle version myself. I think this would be a great small gift for a cat lover who also loves travel, especially if they have an affinity for Italy.

It’s Italy. It’s cats. I love everything about this. It was also really interesting learning about the cat colonies in Rome and the gattaras (backup career option?), something i never even knew was a thing! I loved it!

This book came exactly when I needed it!! I’ve been really interested in cats recently as an autistic person so this was so fun!! I would love to have this one to flip through, the photographs are so cute, and the extra info we get is so nice.

Cats of Rome is a visually arresting ode to the feline wanderers of the Eternal City. From lounging in ruins to surveying ancient columns like living room tigers, these cats exude a quiet majesty that feels both timeless and wild. The gothic undertones of the backdrops—crumbling stone, ivy-cloaked walls, and shadowed alleys—give the book a dreamy, slightly haunted charm. It’s a perfect coffee table addition for any cat lover, especially those who appreciate a bit of mood with their meow.

Some images felt slightly blurry, which was a shame, as I’d hang several of these shots on my walls if I could get my hands on high-resolution versions. Still, the way the photographer captured the untamed glances of these cats, set against Rome’s ancient decay, more than made up for the technical imperfections.

A special thanks to NetGalley for offering the reading option via Thorium—hands down a much smoother PDF experience than Adobe Acrobat.

Such a fun little adventure into a topic I hadn’t even heard about! Italian feral cat colonies? Now I need to go and meet them! The pictures were absolutely gorgeous as well!

As a cat owner I obviously HAD to get my hands on this book! I’m also Italian so that took part as well but really it was the cats! You get the see around Rome in the pictures of all the wonderful cats! You also find out about the women caretakers of these cats. This is a cat owners must!

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for sharing this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

Cats of Rome is a love letter to history and all feline friends. The photographs of the cats are beautiful with the ancient architecture and cityscapes, but my favorite moments of this book were the notes written by Scott about each location and their experience photographing these cat colonies. I loved hearing about how they live and coexist with both the Roman locals and tourists. This book is great for anyone who loves cats, travel, and history. It was really enjoyable and I would rate it 4 stars out of 5! My only complaint is that I wish the author elaborated more on each section! I loved hearing Scott's perspectives on these cats just as much as the photographs.

Right from the start, this book shows you some beautiful pictures and a historical background of the Cats of Rome. I've learned some cool things about these cute little buddies from each chapter and its associated location, and the pictures are excellent. I was thoroughly intrigued by each new sight described, demonstrating Traer Scott's strong narrative skill. Amazing read.

This was an advanced reader copy granted via NetGalley, and the final copy may differ from that of my review if the author or publisher deems it necessary. Thank you to Princeton Architectural Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

My heart is singing! What a beautiful book, I love it so much! Its my second one from Traer Scott and - just like ‘Rescue Cats’ - this one too is beyond amazing. The author proves again that she is an advocate for animal welfare and a compassionate photographer. The book is a must for everyone who takes care of a feral colony, engages in TNR (Trap Neuter Release) and loves traveling, like me. Apart from the stories and photos of the Cats of Rome, there is enough historical information to pick your interest. The description of the individual colony locations are remarkable, and the photos are superb. These are all feral cats, some might be a little rough looking, but all are beautiful in the eye of every cat lover. The photos are natural in the cats’ habitats, not staged which I love. The introduction is written so wonderfully, it made my heart melt. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the many Roman feral cat colonies with photos from that area. Some show the gracious volunteers - called gattaras - who feed the cats day in and day out. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude knowing that these cats are protected by law and well cared for. I’ve been to Rome many years ago but this book makes me long for another trip just for the cats’ sake and especially to meet Augusto, one of the only two remaining cats in the Colosseo. I adore this author/photographer and cannot wait for publication day (4/22/2025) to run and pick up my own physical copy of the book. This is definitely a book I want to have on my coffee table.
I’d like to thank Netgalley, Chronicle Books/Princeton Architectural Press and especially Miss Traer Scott for gifting me an advance copy. I am truly honored and immensely enjoyed the book. The above is it my honest review and own opinion.

Some beautiful and moving picture with nice factoids along side it, A fun and informative coffee table book suitable for all ages!!