Purrliament Hill: The Capital Cat Colony.

AuthorStos, Will
PositionSketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians Past

There are certain "must see" attractions on Parliament Hill: the Peace Tower, the Parliamentary Library, statues of prime ministers and other famous people in Canadian History ... and the cats. For decades the Parliament Hill Cat Colony drew hundreds of curious onlookers and devoted fans of felines every day. Initially brought to the Hill for pest control, the cats eventually enjoyed a life of relative leisure. These well-fed and well-cared kitties spent their time sunning themselves and capturing the hearts of parliamentarians, staff, and visitors and tourists. In this article, we celebrate the Cat Colony (and Sanctuary) of Parliament Hill. Although no longer in existence, memories of these friendly, furry felines will not soon fade away..

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During a vigorous debate on the floor of the House of Commons or Senate, parliamentarians might verbally fight like cats and dogs. But for almost a hundred years (or more), actual cats enjoyed a peaceful existence just a short distance away from these chambers.

Although there is speculation the cats first arrived on the Hill during the construction of the Rideau Canal, historians have confidently traced the origins of the cat colony to at least 1924 when there was a large infestation of rats and mice after Centre block's construction.

Workers brought in cats to keep the rodent population under control. Although they did their job admirably, they also reproduced quickly. Soon, there were complaints from others working at the Hill about all the cats roaming the halls. By 1955, the use of cats as rodent deference ended when workers began using chemicals instead.

Nevertheless, there were still plenty of cats about --and a growing number of people who cared about their well being. Cleaners (char women) fed the cats as they visited the grounds to work in the 1930s; groundskeepers and other staff or visitors who befriended members of the colony also fed them in different locations until 1970 when Irene Desormeaux assumed the role of principal caretaker. By the 1980s, with the help of friend and neighbour, Rene Chartrand, she created wooden structures west of Centre Block, near the Sir Alexander Mackenzie stature, to give the animals some shelter from the elements. Larger structures, resembling the early houses of European settlers along the St. Lawrence River, were built in 1997.

After Desmoreaux's death in 1987, Chartrand took over until his retirement in 2008. He passed away in 2014. In media...

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