Parliament Hill Cats

Of all of the official positions held in this government town, perhaps the least known, yet no less essential, is that of “Cat Man.” Tucked in a small compound behind the wrought-iron fence west of the Centre Block, a population of feral cats has lived behind the Hill since the late 1970s, currently fed by presiding cat man René Chartrand. He took over from the original Cat Lady, the late Irene Desormeaux, in 1987, and has since gone to the Hill twice a day, every day, to dole out kibble (costing some $6,000 a year) purchased using money donated through discreet donation boxes affixed to the railings, as well as from his own pockets. Completely outside of the official designation of the Hill, the guides tend to skip the small shelters that house the feline brood, which have since been made more permanent, in wooden structures in the shape of the Parliament Buildings.