Canadian Parliamentary Cats

The Parliamentary Cats are a collection of stray cats living in the precinct of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. A small colony on the grounds, called the Cat Sanctuary, is set aside for them. The care of the cats and maintenance of the sanctuary is carried out by volunteers, and the effort is funded purely by donation.

Contents

Caretakers

Cats were employed in the Parliament Building to control the rodent population until 1955 when they were replaced by chemicals. Groundskeepers fed the cats at various locations on the grounds until the 1970s. In the late 1970s, Irène Desormeaux began feeding the cats at the location of the current colony. She was joined by René Chartrand in the mid-1980s[1]

Chartrand took over when Desormeaux died in 1987. Chartrand received the Heroes for Animals Award from the Humane Society of Canada for his work in 2003.[2] One of his contributions was the construction of shelters in the colony.[1]

Brian Caines and Klaus Gerken established a volunteer team in 2003 to aid Chartrand, and later assumed total responsibility when Chartrand retired in 2009.[1]

A list of volunteers may be found on this site.

The Colony

The colony is located west of the Centre Block and the statue of Alexander Mackenzie.[3] The fence surrounding the colony is no obstacle to the cats and they are free to roam the grounds.

Chartrand built the first set of cold weather shelters in the mid-1980s, some of which are still extant. The current structures, resembling the houses of European settlers along the St. Lawrence, were built by Chartrand and a friend in 1997.[1]

While formally intended for the cats, raccoons, groundhogs, pigeons and squirrels also partake in the cats' benefits.

In 2003, the estimated annual cost of the colony was C$6000.[2]

Cats

The cats are spayed or neutered and receive free inoculations and care from the local Alta Vista Animal Hospital. Purina also donates food.[1]

In 2003, there were approximately 30 cats. However, once spaying and neutering occurred the population slowly dropped off until there were no more than a dozen cats present at any one time.[4]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Gerken, Klaus J. "A Brief History of the Cats of Parliament Hill". The Cats of Parliament Hill Blog. 2011-01-13. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  2. ^ a b Vanessa. "Cat Man Of Parliament Hill". Humane Society of Canada. 2003-08-22. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  3. ^ "Cat Sanctuary (Ottawa)". Wikimapia. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  4. ^ Gerken, Klaus J. "Year end update". The Cats of Parliament Hill Blog. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2011-05-29.

External links