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: Saturday 1 August 2009
Preamble
IMPORTANT NOTICES
18 July 2009: Since I am updating this blog so rarely these days, if anyone
would like to be put on a mailing list advising of updates, just send an
email to kgerken@synapse.net with the subject: "CPH ML add" and I will do so.
*
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:
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
June 2009
July 2009
Brian Caines
Saturday 1 August 2009
Blackie & Brunette's excellent adventure
Hello All:
Brunette, a lovely calico and the oldest female of the colony, has had a benign
cyst for many years. Her beauty mark. Recently it became inflamed and we contacted
Lara, the cats' veterinarian who visited the colony to see her. She administered
a slow acting antibiotic to help heal the infection and arranged a follow-up
appointment at the animal hospital. She also checked Blackie, the oldest male,
as we noticed he was losing weight. She asked that we bring him with us when we
brought Brunette. Two birds with one stone.
Neither cat had been to the vets since being fixed many years ago, so the group was
somewhat hesitant about taking them because of their ages. However, late last week
Daniel, one of the Cat Caregivers, and I undertook catching and transporting them to
their appointment. The operation went better than expected. They didn't protest
when we put them into the carriers and they managed the 20 minute car ride with only
a few plaintive meows of protest. Certainly, they were more calm and collected than
we two humans.
Lara determined after examination and blood work that the two of them are in good
shape for cats of their age. As she suspected, Blackie suffers from hyperthyroidism
which requires daily treatment, and Brunette needs to have ointment applied to her cyst
until it is completely healed. The Caregivers are now treating them at the sanctuary.
We sometimes have to be patient and creative (especially when it comes to finding
Brunette), but they are treated every day and they are much better because of it.
Many thanks to Lara and Amanda, her technician, for their wonderful care of the cats.
Cheers,
Brian
Klaus Gerken
Saturday, 1 August 2009
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