Canadian Parliamentary Cats
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Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada has maintained a tradition of housing 20-40 stray cats on the property since the 1970s and is known by some as the Cat Sanctuary. Originally the project of Irène Desormeaux, their care passed to René Chartrand in 1987 upon Desormeaux's death.
While Chartrand built a small series of structures resembling mock Parliament buildings inside a small enclosure for them, the cats are free to roam the property, easily slipping in and out of the gates. According to Chartrand, the cats are allowed inside the Parliament buildings to help control rodent populations.
There are currently around 28 different cats on the premises. The cats are all spayed or neutered, and receive free inoculations and care from the local Alta Vista Animal Hospital.
There is an annual calendar featuring the cats, whose care is entirely reliant on personal donations and volunteerism; their annual care is estimated at C$ 6000 in costs.
While formally intended for the cats, the effort also benefits countless raccoons, groundhogs and squirrels who partake in the cats' benefits. Chartrand was recently awarded the Humane Society of Canada's Heroes for Animals award.[1]
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[edit] Permanent feline residents
- The white mother
Portraits of several of the cats - Thumbelina
- Six Toes (Thumbelina's sister)
- Brunette (Lulu's sister)
- Ti-gris
- Blackie
- Fluffy
- Brownie
- Bebe (joined 2000)
- Spot (joined 2004)
- Max (joined 2005)
- Shadow (joined 2005)
- Lillian-Wentworth (joined 2007)
[edit] Past residents
- Kid Junior (Died of a heart attack - Summer 2006)
- Big Mama (AKA Vincent - 21 years old) Lost summer 2006
- Coco (lost 2005)
- Smokey and her kittens (taken to the Humane Society 2004 after failing to integrate for the winter)
- Bruno - still very active and happy (removed in February 2004 after aggression, adopted by one of the caretakers)
- Lulu (lost 2004)
- Samantha (lost 2004)
- Monty (lost 2004)
- Blanchette (lost 2003)(Brownie's mother)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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