The cat sanctuary in Rome that was the setting and inspiration for Scott Olin of Elkins Park is back in the news. 

In 2021, Olin published “Luca and the Unwanted Cats of Rome”, a children’s book inspired by a visit he and his daughter paid to Rome’s Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary 16 years ago.

The sanctuary is located among the ruins of the Largo Argentina archaeological area and has provided shelter, food and love to cats in the city center for three decades. The volunteer-run shelter receives no state funding and relies solely on donations from the visiting public and whoever supports its distance adoption scheme.

“A tram stopped across from the sanctuary, the doors opened, and out walked a cat. He walked down the steps into the sanctuary like he was coming home from work. Ever since then, Scott has wanted to write a children’s book about that cat. He said that he’d do it when he retired, and he did!” his wife wrote in a Facebook post.

You can read the Associated Press’ recent article on the sanctuary here. To purchase a copy of Olin’s book, you can click here.

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Photos courtesy of Hotels.com