The Cats of Parliament Hill Blog

by Klaus J. Gerken Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, North America, Planet Earth, the Sol Planetary system, the "Milky Way" Galaxy, the Local cluster of Galaxies, the Universe, and whatever is beyond or ever was before. Latest update: Tuesday, 11 March 2009

Preamble

IMPORTANT NOTICES Please under no circumstances abandon cats or kittens on the Hill or by the Cat Sanctuary. The cats will not readily accept newcomers and for the most part chase them away. Nor is it a given new cats will find the Sanctuary in search of shelter and food. Most abandoned cats are very disorientated and will just randomly wander off finding starvation and death - especially in the winter. If you can no longer care for your cat, please take her to the Humane Society where she can be well taken care of and put up for adoption. This is what we do for any abandoned cat we find. And it causes us great grief when we cannot capture one - which happens way too often. And if you give kittens as a gift for Christmas, ensure the person or the household you give them to can provide for them. If not, then you should reconsider your priorities. No kitten deserves to be abandoned like an unwanted toy. Owning a pet is a serious responsibiliy. If you don't share that feeling, you shouldn't own a pet. It's as simple as that. Abandoning your pet is a criminal offence with up to 2 years in jail. Perhaps you who would be so callous should think about that. Treat your pets well, and they will reward you with unconditional love for the rest of their lives. Should we all care so much as they care for us. Klaus J. Gerken Before you abandon a pet you can no longer care for, please contact these organizations:

Previous logs are available at the Library and Archives Canada:

All photographs by Klaus J. Gerken unless otherwise stated.

Comments are always welcome: Please send any comments to kgerken@synapse.net (We reserve the right to publish any comments on this blog).

Invitation I would like to invite anyone who has recollections or photographs of the colony before the present condos were built; especially any recollections or photographs of Irene Desormeaux before Rene Chartrand took over caring for the cats, or even prior to that, to send them to kgerken@synapse.net . We are trying to establish a definitive history of the cat colony for a book to be published in the next year or so.

A Brief History of the Cats of Parliament Hill There is a story that Colonel By brought hundreds of cats with him when he built the Rideau Canal in 1826, to take care of the rodent population, but unfortunately that cannot be confirmed. What can be confirmed is that cats were employed in the Parliament Building (as in many other building) as pest control until 1955 when they were replaced by chemicals. Until 1970 ground keepers fed the cats in various locations, when Irene Desormeaux began feeding the cats where the existing colony now resides. Rene Chartrand began helping her in the mid-nineteen eighties and began building some wooden structures (some of which can still be seen) for the cats to keep warm in. In 1987 when Irene passed on to take care of stray cats in a greater colony beyond this world, Rene took over and loyally fed the cats to this day. In 1997 Rene and a friend built the existing structures. Brian Caines began helping about that time, and I began helping out in 2003. That year brian and I decided to put together a support team to ensure that Rene would be ok (he's in his mid-eighties now) and that the cats would always be well provided for. We now have a team of eight caregivers who volunteer their time to this amazing cause. * The cast of characters: Irene Desormeaux (Who started it all in the 1970's) Rene Chartrand (Who took over when Irene passed on in 1987 and maintained the colony till he retired November 2008 -- he built the shelters in 1997.) The Volunteers (in alphabetical order): Lia Alfonsi Ben Asselstine Sebastien Badour Kathryn Bunn Brian Caines Leyla Di Cori Heather Ferguson Klaus Gerken Laura Jaremkow Lorraine Milobar Helene Pomerleau Sally Sax & Christ Oliver - Author of "Fish Lecan, Maria Dorfinkley et les Chats de la Colline du Parlement" and the blog below:

True Stories about the Cats on Parliament Hill by Christ Oliver

The Alta Vista Animal Hospital (For medical care). Purina for cat food. And a host of many others. And the cats: Current residents: The white mother and her brood: Snowball (AKA Six Toes - lives with the white mother on the east side of the Hill) Blackie Fluffy Brownie Brunette Ti-gris Bebe (Integrated 2000) Bruno (2003/4 - adopted by myself Feb 2004 - and flourishing) Spot (Integrated 2004) Max (Integrated 2005) Past Residents: *Coco (RIP 2005) *LePune (Lost 2003 and perhaps sister to Brunette and Lulu) *Big Mama (RIP 1985? to 2006) *Thumbelina (Adopted by Sebastien Bador 2008) *Kid Jr (lost 2006) *Blanchette (lost in 2003) *Lulu (lost 2004 and sister to Brunette) *Smokey and her three kittens living in the West Block ( put up for adoption fall 2004 because they could not integrate, no matter how much Smokey tried) *Monty (lost 2004) *The black and white we never got to name who only stayed a month (summer 2004) *Samantha (Lost Nov 2004) *Shadow (Integrated 2005 - but probably there earlier and the father of Smokey's kittens)) - Put up for adoption March 2008 because of special medical needs *Penelope (Abandoned Christmas 2005 - taken to the Humane Society Feb 2006) *Lillian-Wentworth (Integrated 2007 - Believed stolen from the colony Spring 2008)) *Phoebe (The new white - taken to the HS by Brian and Laura 18 June 2007) *Hero (15 years old - abandoned - taken to the HS for adoption) *Mike the cabbie (Abandoned July 2007 - Named by Joanne Stanbridge) - Taken to the Humane Society 24 July 2005. *Great Tiger (abandoned in the heaviest snowfall of the winter - rescued by Laura and taken to the Humane Society for adoption - March 2008) *Bugsy (Betsy) (2008) Hangs out with the whites. And so many others who just walk in and out or are adopted when we can catch them.

The Blog

Klaus Gerken Thursday, 1 January 2009 The cats have been well provided for, including the whites. I, on the other hand am a solid block of ice and slowly thawing out. k

Happy New Year from Parliament Hill and the Colony!

Max, Blackie and Fluffy as I was approaching the colony

Max gave a warm meow on this brutally cold New Year's day

Fluffy and Spot sharing

Bebe, FLuffy and Blackie

And of course little Brunette...Ti-Gris came out after everyone had eaten. And did they ever appreciate the warm water!

Foot prints where the white's hang out. A shure sign they are ok

Leaving the colony: Fluffy, Brownie and Max

Klaus Gerken Friday, 09/01/09 9:46 AM It is with deep regret, due to problems with my hip, I will no longer be able to feed the cats on the weekend during the cold weather. I have noticed that it is increasingly difficult for me to climb the fence into the compound. Once the weather is milder (perhaps March or April) I will reassess my involvement with the colony. I will certainly miss the cats and the volunteers. Klaus Gerken

Laura Jaremkow 11/01/09 10:43 PM Hey everybody... Here's hoping everybody enjoyed this fabulous and beautiful weekend, and are prepared for the deep freeze heading our way. -30C? Eeek. Ben and i were chatting (before he headed off to fun in the sunshine of Hawaii) and even though he will be going back to work soon, he will be taking up the feeding of the cats on Saturdays, and i will be the Sunday girl. Brian will be standing strong in his weekday capacity, and everybody else, well you just keep stopping by at any given moment because in the winter, our kitties need every bit of loving and and every bit of body heat they can get. We had a fun morning today. i arrived around 930, running into Ben who was on his way to get some water for our kitties. The whole gang was out in the sunshine, sucking up the heat and charging their 'batteries'. The mood was so good that when Ben brought out the string, it was a playday for sure. It started with Max, then Bebe was going crazy. Along came Spot, and Brownie, and even Fluffy joined in the fun of the string. The best was when Tigris came along for her share. So calm, so serene, with only one paw moving she had her way with that string. It was a good morning. Hope to see all of you soon. Have a great week. Thank you. .:laura:.

Brian Caines Friday, 16 January 2009 Re:The cats and the bitter cold. The Cat Caregivers have everything in hand for this extreme cold snap. The shelters have plenty of straw for warmth and the cats, being the intelligent beasties they are, bundle up together to share their body heat. In fact, the cats have been waiting outside, sitting on their mats "enjoying" the sun in minus 25 degree temperatures when I arrived the past two mornings. They are visited three times daily and left fresh, warm water each time as well as being served a little extra wet food as a treat. We leave plenty of dried food to last 24 hours. Both the Caregivers and the cats are looking forward to the end of the winter. Brian * Laura Jaremkow Friday, 16 January 2009 Thursday night... Hey everybody, Did you know that it gets colder when the sun goes down? i got up to the Hill last night around 630, the whole while thinking, it's really not that bad out. When i arrived at the colony, Blackie and Brownie came running out of their houses, but stopped quite suddenly when they realized it was cold out. i gave them some lovin' and vice versa, before opening up a snack (Mmmm, seafood supreme) for the kitties while i went to get water. The opening of the can brought more kitties (Fluffy, Bebe, Max) running along, and i left them battling for space. When i came back with the cat tea (hot water) the food was gone, and so were the cats, except for Blackie. i put down the water (which Blackie appreciated), and opened a second can of food, that again brought the cats running. i ended up sticking around with Blackie for awhile. After a number of head bumps, and plenty of big purrs, i finally realized i was cold (i was there for almost an hour) and begged Blackie to go inside. i managed to put Blackie into a house with Max and Bebe, they all settled in, and i turned to go back to my home. i had much fun, and if ever necessary give me a call and i will head up after work again. The cats surely appreciated the visit, and i love seeing that they are doing just fab in this crazy weather. Now, if only i took care of myself as well as they do each other. When i got home, my legs were beet red and firmly cold to the touch. Many hot water bottles later they finally thawed out. Yay winter! i hope everyone is feeling well (Helene), and big thanks to everyone for all the extra visits to the colony in this cold spell, 'cause you know they love it, probably as much as we love them. .:laura:. * Brian Caines Thanks for the update, Laura and thanks for making sure the cats are well cared for. Our dedication to da puddies really shows during these cold temperatures. I'm bundled up and ready to trudge up to the Hill. Layers really work!!! Brian * Lorraine Milobar Dear Laura: Thanks for this lovely update though knowing you were in pain when returning home. I though am sure thinking of what you did for them at least warmed very quickly your heart. Thank you so much! Best regards! Lorraine * Brian Caines There is an interesting article on the Cats of Parliament Hill with some nice photos in the (believe it or not) 2009 Dogs in Canada Annual. Here's the link although you can't access the article, unfortunately. http://www.dogsincanada.com/ It is available in Chapters-Indigo as well as good magazine stores. * Helene Pomerliau Hey everybody, Our dear little friends have been fed and water at lunch and after work. They're so smart! Usually, if I call them while I'm approaching the colony, some of them will come out to greet me. But today and yesterday, even if I called them, they waited for me to be on the other side of the fence to come out. I can almost read on their face "Hey, give us a good reason to come out with this cold!" And, they are back inside as soon as they finished their meal. Except for Blackie who like to be warm up, which of course I did, before he gets back inside with the others. I often think they are smarter than us. Have a nice weekend everyone! Helene

Ben Asselstine Saturday, January 24th, 2009 10:24 am Around 9am I walked to parliament hill to feed the cats at the colony. It was -20 outside, and the windchill is -30 degrees celisus. On my way I took this picture:

Photo by Ben Asslestine

I was surprised to see a person already waiting there:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

It turns out that the person was Andrea, who was on a scavenger hunt. She wanted to get a picture of the Catman, but settled for a picture of me with a tin of cat food in my hand. She was waiting all morning to get a picture! Max and Blackie were the first to come out and say hello:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

Of course the water dishes were frozen solid:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

While getting some hot water in the washroom the RCMP officer asked me when there would be more volunteers so that he could inform future scavenge hunters. I said there would be more volunteers present around noon. With fresh water and food the cats ate well:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

Photo by Ben Asslestine

Brunette had a little food, but I don't think Ti-Gris or Spot had any at all this morning. They both had their chance though -- as I put a food dish in each of their cubby holes. And afterwards Max did what he does best:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

And Brownie and Fluffy cleaned up the rest of the food.
Photo by Ben Asslestine

As I was leaving the cats were all warming up in a cubby hole, except for Brownie. No sign of Snowball, Bugsy or the White Mother.

Ben Asslestine Saturday, January 31st, 2009 11:04 am cat feeding It was a cold morning today... -19 celsius and it felt like -28 with the wind. When I showed up to feed the cats, I saw Fluffy waiting on the sunny path:

Photo by Ben Asslestine

And Brownie was the next cat I saw:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

Blackie couldn't wait until the snow was cleared off to say hello:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

Once the snow was cleared, the cats had some food:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

Everybody got some food. There was no sign of Snowball, or the White Mother when I visited their feeding area. I left some dry food for them, and they can reach the bowls just fine in their own time. Bebe doesn't like photos but I surprised her with this one:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

Even the elusive Spot had time for a close-up picture:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

As I was leaving, Max and Fluffy were getting some sun:
Photo by Ben Asslestine

Klaus Gerken Sunday, 15 February 2009 Fed the cats for the first time since New Years' day. Good to see them again. Thanks to the person who left bags of food for them.

Approaching the Hill

The colony and visitors

Brownie and Fluffy

Blackie and Bebe

Brunette

Ti-Gris

Brownie, Blackie, Spot and Max

Again

Bebe, Brownie, Blackie, Max

Fluffy

Brownie, Spot, Max and Fluffy

Max

Max, Blackie, Brownie, and Bebe

Brownie, Bebe, Blackie and Max

Leaving the colony

Klaus Gerken Saturday, 21 February 2009 Fed the cats between 7 and 8 this morning. Gave them lots of wet and left some dry and made sure they had plenty of warm water which they relished.

The barricades still up after President Obama's visit

And the bullet-proof glass still hasn't been removed from the Centre Block entrance

I couldn't believe 5 cats came out of that small cubicle

They were quite happy to see me...been away too long

Max, Fluffy, Spot and Blackie waiing to be fed

Fluffy

Max, Bebe, Spot and Blackie

Blackie, Fluffy, Brownie and Max

Brownie and Max

Blackie and Fluffy

Spot

Blackie, Bebe, Max and Brownie

Close up

Last photo before I left

Klaus Gerken Saturday, 7 March 2009 Fed the cats on a warm March morning between 7 amd 8 am. Had the most wonderous nuzzle from Fluffy and Blackie followed me all the way the to the rest room where I got some fresh water. All in all, a good visit, but miss the cats waiting for me like they used to do.

Approaching the colony

The compound

Max, Spot and Fluffy

Fluffy

Someone had left a row of peanuts for the squirrels

Spot

Blackie

Bebe

Spot, Max, Fluffy, Blackie and squirrel

Squirrels all over the place

Blackie guiding me back to the colony

Max

Brownie

Fluffy and Spot

Brian Caines Tuesday, 10 March 2009 Hello All: While returning from feeding the Whites I could see Bugsy sitting by the benches looking relatively relaxed even though Fluff, Max and Brownie were looking at him intently although they were not in an aggressive stance. Meanwhile, the grlllllllssss were not remotely interested in the goings-on. I gave him some food and after eating a little he wandered off. Fluffly then made a slight, low growl and that was it. I'll take that as a good sign. So it seems our Bugsy is getting braver (and our boys are getting more accepting). Brian

Klaus Gerken Wednesday, 11 March 2009 Some photos from Sunday 8 March. The cats were basking in the warm sun.