19°c Clear
18°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Feline sanctuary steadily shrinking
The sanctuary — a holdover from the days when cats worked as mousers on Parliament Hill — was once home to as many as 30 strays, but spaying and neutering has reduced their ranks to just four today. (CP)
OTTAWA -- A decades-old cat sanctuary nestled behind Canada's Parliament Buildings is heading towards a quiet end as its feline population slowly shrinks.
The sanctuary -- a holdover from the days when cats worked as mousers on Parliament Hill -- was once home to as many as 30 strays, but spaying and neutering has reduced their ranks to just four today.
"There were kittens born here, the last ones probably 10 to 15 years ago," said Brian Caines, a sanctuary volunteer and former public servant.
"So now,we're down to four."
In 1955, more modern, chemical-based rodent-control methods put the cats out of work, but they never left the Hill. Volunteers like Irene Desormeaux, who died in 1987, took it upon themselves to take care of the animals.
In the 1980s, Rene Chartrand became known as "the cat man" after taking over for Desormeaux, building an elaborate wooden shelter for the animals and adopting the role of their full-time volunteer caregiver.
Chartrand cared for the cats without government help, relying entirely on public donations until retiring in November 2008. He does not run the shelter any longer due to health reasons.
The structures have since been updated and replaced with newer ones to provide the cats shelter and some warmth from Ottawa's bitter winters.
Caines said he got involved with the sanctuary when he worked for the Privy Council in the 1990s. The eventual decline of the cat population is a good thing, he said, since Parliament Hill isn't really the best place for them.
"People ask why we don't get cats and drop them off here, to replenish. I know that any animal-rights group would certainly take exception to that," Caines said.
"They've got a great life, there's no question about it. People are caring for them. But they are living outdoors and winters are very hard on them."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a known cat-lover, spoke to a volunteer at the sanctuary once, Caines said. Harper's wife, Laureen, has also been in touch with the sanctuary, and MPs are known to drop by from time to time.
The sanctuary is run by about seven volunteers, who visit it daily to make sure the cats are fed. The volunteers buy the wet food and a Quebec company donates the dry food.
"We used to have a donation box here, but two years ago we took it down because as the cats' numbers were going down, we had collected enough money over time," Caines said.
No one knows for sure where the cats came from, although one popular -- if unconfirmed -- story has them descended from cats brought to the area by Colonel John By, the founder of Ottawa and the Rideau Canal.
Caines said he enjoys the story but has no idea if it's true.
"It's a wonderful spot and I'll certainly miss it when it does go," he said.
"Traditions, I guess, do end."
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 23, 2012 A6
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.
More Canada
- Back to Top
- Return to Canada
More Canada
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
06/18/2013 9:32 PM 0TORONTO — Half of Canada's First Nations children are living in poverty, triple the national average, according to a new ...
Poll
Most Popular Canada
- Fast and curious driver caught going 221 km/h loses car, nets double the fine
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- Next! Montreal seeks yet another mayor after second one quits in scandal
- Corruption in Quebec: A blow-by-blow account
- Montreal's new mayor in hot water
- Hike in disclosure for public servants should apply to unions too: Liberals
- Harper lauds G8 declaration on Syrian conflict despite lack of consensus
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- More controversy in Montreal: three police officers suspended amid RCMP probe
- Ottawa says man was Asian crime gang member and should be kicked out of Canada
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Montreal's interim mayor, a self-styled corruption fighter, faces fraud charges
- Marois defends turban ban
- Canadian woman, daughter caught smuggling $59,000 in bras, border agents say
- Woman charged after drink tossed at embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford
- Questions about Mayor Rob Ford overshadow news of huge police raids
- Trudeau to compensate charities that paid him to help raise money
- Training manuals for Parliament guides boost Senate, praise two-party system
- Fast and curious driver caught going 221 km/h loses car, nets double the fine
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Controversy around Toronto mayor Rob Ford continues to grow
- Glover, Bezan fight suspension from Parliament
- Alleged Rob Ford drug video 'gone,' source tells Gawker
- Gawker hits $200K for 'crack cocaine' video as mayor's senior aides resign
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- 'I am not stepping aside,' Mayor Rob Ford says, as 'crack video' scandal rages
- Mother cries, yells as driver appears in court charged with killing boy on patio
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- Fast and curious driver caught going 221 km/h loses car, nets double the fine
- Alberta judge calls killing of sleeping five-year-old 'domestic terrorism'
- Force used on protester reasonable: cop's lawyer
- Harper lauds G8 declaration on Syrian conflict despite lack of consensus
- Next! Montreal seeks yet another mayor after second one quits in scandal
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- B.C. is 'in the risk zone' for mega-earthquake along the coast: study
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Feds want to extend blanket of permanent secrecy over 11 new agencies
- Canadian and American missing for nearly two weeks in Mexico
- Squirrel takes whirl in toilet; woman rescues rodent with barbecue tongs
- Wendy's 9-patty burger extinct
- Training manuals for Parliament guides boost Senate, praise two-party system
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Glover, Bezan fight suspension from Parliament
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Ottawa threatens 'retaliatory measures' over new U.S. meat labelling regulations
- Canadian and American missing for nearly two weeks in Mexico
- Banff officials hunt for cougar that man fought off with skateboard
- Harper government brings in new performance review system for public service
- Senate's hired motivational speakers scrubbed after planned pep talk goes public
- Up to one of every three members of new tribunal gave money to Conservatives
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.