Help keep cats off the Hill

I must admit to be somewhat discouraged to read in the letters section that David Rain recently spotted a cat on Parliament Hill while he was out on a run. As someone who was involved, along with a number of others, with the management of the Parliament Hill cat sanctuary, learning that more cats are being cruelly abandoned on the Hill (how else would they get there?) is truly disheartening.

Our group, over many years, managed to spay, neuter and vaccinate the residents of the cat sanctuary and to control its numbers through a sterilization regimen and by either finding homes for newly abandoned cats or taking them to the Ottawa Humane Society for adoption. Our success is measured by the closing of the sanctuary in early 2013 because there were only four aging cats remaining — all taken in by the volunteers.

Although we loved working with the cats we knew that their lives, although pampered in comparison with most outdoor cats, were still difficult, especially during Ottawa’s long, unforgiving winters. So the decision to close the sanctuary was a bittersweet one, especially as the cat colony was among the most visited and beloved attractions on the Hill.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSCP) is responsible for the parliamentary precinct. I also believe that it is their duty to prevent the establishment of another feral cat colony resulting from pet owners who, without a second thought, discard their cats on the slopes of the Hill. PSCP needs to establish an ongoing program immediately to trap these poor felines and take them to the Ottawa Humane Society for care. Sadly, the reality is that one group of responsible people are often left with dealing with the irresponsible behaviour of another group of people.

Brian Caines, Ottawa