Undoubtedly, Rome has an affinity towards cats, which are considered as protected animals. It is a criminal offence to harm any cat, whether stray or owned, within the boundaries of Rome, attracting penalties of approximately 10,000 euros fines and three years imprisonment. The city of Rome has an estimated population of wild cats about its three hundred thousand and these stray cats are part of Rome's natural ecosystem. A cat’s shrine was even located in Largo di Torre Argentina, where Julius Caesar was killed.