The Parliament cats more recently

René retired, but the residents continued to come and go as they pleased in their own domain and had become something of a tourist attraction; they were generally friendly. The colony was maintained at around 10 or 12 animals, and all were spayed or neutered. They received free inoculations and veterinary care from the nearby Alta Vista Animal Hospital. Donations from tourists and others paid for their upkeep, although the Purina pet-food company also made donations of food. What was provided for the cats also benefited numerous raccoons, squirrels, groundhogs and pigeons, which took advantage of the handouts!

All the felines on the Hill were named and known to the volunteers, who between them visited, fed and spent time with the cats several times a day, even through the severest weather. Generally new animals were taken on only when a current resident died or, as sometimes happened, inexplicably disappeared, leaving a vacancy. There was no guarantee that the established cats would accept a newcomer into the colony, or vice versa. In cases where a problem arose the newcomer may have been adopted by a volunteer, or else taken to the Humane Society for rehoming.

A list of most of the residents (and the volunteers) is at the The Cats of Parliament Hill Blog pages, the work of Klaus J Gerken, a volunteer since 2003. Also there, comprehensive entries and many photos dating from 2005 until late 2011, when a Facebook page was begun — updates and photos were then posted there instead, with only limited additions thereafter to the blog (see links below). We acknowledge Klaus and his fellow volunteers as the source of photos on this page.

Early morning welcome	So where's the food?	At last . . .	Yours is better than mine	The caregivers' laps can become very crowded!		Other residents are always interesting

The team of volunteers on the Hill in the spring of 2010
Front row (left to right): Klaus, Suzanne, Lia, Brian, Sally
Back row (left to right): Cheryl, Leyla, Lara, Abigail, Daniel
(our thanks to Brian Caines and Klaus Gerken)

2013: end of an era

The spaying and neutering programme in place over some years at the sanctuary, adoption of some of the feline residents by volunteer caregivers, and the policy of taking new arrivals at the Hill to the local humane society for care and subsequent homing, led to the population of the colony gradually reducing, and by the end of 2012 only four cats remained. The caregivers themselves made the difficult decision to close the sanctuary for several reasons: the age of these cats, their deteriorating health, and concern that they shouldn't be exposed any longer to the often harsh Ottawa winters. These last four would also be adopted by the volunteers.

Three were captured, leaving tabby-and-white Bugsy as the sole resident — he'd been on the Hill for about five years and Brian Caines was taking him in, but Bugsy managed to evade attempts to catch him for another day or two. But he was caught, and the sanctuary officially closed on 4 January 2013. The site was handed back to the federal authorities, and almost straight away the department for public works arranged its total clearance. As they had become so well known, and the sanctuary had attracted so many visitors and tourists over the years, there had been many calls for the distinctive 'cat condo' structures to be preserved, or perhaps moved and put to good use elsewhere, but in fact, despite being maintained as well as possible by the volunteers, they had been slowly rotting for years and were in poor shape by the time of the closure.

A sign in English and French was placed on the railings in front of the former sanctuary briefly noting what used to be there, and including contact details for the humane society if any 'new' strays or abandoned cats turned up on the Hill, although instances of this over recent years had become rare.

The last four cats, Bugsy included, all settled into their new homes and were reported to be well and happy. The Facebook page carries on with several thousand followers: caregivers pass on news and pictures of their adopted charges from time to time, while Klaus continues to post wonderful images of the sanctuary's past residents from a huge personal collection taken over the years while a volunteer carer (Klaus has also created a separate Facebook public group as a place to archive all images, where they're now available in a series of albums in chronological order — an exceptionally comprehensive record, not only of the cats and the sanctuary, but also of their part of the Hill over a number of years and through all seasons: see both Facebook links below). By early 2013 when the sanctuary closed, René Chartrand, the devoted 'catman' until he stepped away from the task in late 2008, was in his 90s and living in a care home for veterans.

Late 2014

With sadness we heard from Brian Caines that René, 'The Cat Man of Parliament Hill', had died aged 92 on 7 December 2014. Obituaries appeared in the press, and CBC Radio also broadcast an item about him. Many tributes were paid and memories shared at the Facebook pages.

Reflections

The closure in 2013 was indeed the end of an era. Many were dismayed and upset over the decision to close the sanctuary; some mistakenly believed the government authorities were responsible and blamed them for it. It had become so well known via press and the internet, to the extent of being included in Ottawa tourist guides, that many visitors to the city will probably continue for a while to make their way to the Hill, expecting to see the cats and be disappointed. The volunteers, however, pointed out that their decision was not made lightly, and they did feel it was in the best interests of the last few cats remaining to remove them to safer, warmer and more comfortable surroundings to see out the rest of their days.

Looking at it from a slightly different perspective, the closure was the outcome of a success story. Adoptions, coupled with spaying and neutering, steadily reduced occupancy to a point where the sanctuary was no longer needed on the Hill, and although it was understandably very sad to see it go, that is surely a worthy achievement and a good thing.

We don't think The Cats of Parliament Hill, nor the cast of characters involved so closely with them, will be forgotten any time soon. Nor should they be.

Links and further reading