Fireworks and Cats!?
Bébé Enjoying a Pat From Laura
Do fireworks affect cat behavior? Éléphant Mauve heads to Ottawa to find out. What better place than Parliament Hill on Canada Day to see fireworks. How do the stray cats that live there fare during all that ruckus? The Canada Day fireworks celebration is notorious for being one of the largest displays in Canada. Common perception of course is that cats, being sensitive will run and hide when the kabooms begin. An example of this is when Fudge, an indoor cat living with her family in Ottawa takes off like a rocket when a neighbors fireworks go off.... boom...boom!! Fudge is so unimpressed that she disappears for the rest of the night. After a reaction like that it seems even MORE likely that cats are afraid of fireworks. There is no way that cats that live outside next to the fireworks can handle the massive explosions... is there?
To get to the bottom of this Brian Caines, a devoted Parliament Hill cat colony volunteer is hot on the task. He keeps a close eye on the twelve stray cats that live on parliament hill for a few days before July 01. Particularly he watches Louis and Coal, the newest members of the colony who have yet to experience the fireworks. He looks for any reaction or change in behavior. Since the Parliament Hill sanctuary is closed to the public on July 01 and there are hundreds of thousands of people there, Brian does not actually see the cats until the next morning July 02. He invites the Éléphant Mauve team to come have breakfast with the cats and see for ourselves if they seem affected by the fireworks.
The cats are all active and anxiously awaiting their food when Éléphant Mauve arrives. The cats are only interested in the food coming but a group of tourists tries to attract their attention anyway. After the cats are fed and munch eagerly on their wetfood, Brian and Laura Jaremkow show us around and help shed light on the fireworks issue.
First, they introduce us to each of the cats that are there that morning. The cats are free to come and go as they wish. Some days you may only see some of them, but we got to see almost all of them. The only ones missing are Ti-Gris and René (the eldest.) The cats are very used to people and attention from people. Some of them will even let the volunteers like Brian and Laura pick them up.
Second, Brian and Laura tell us about their observations of the cats behavior during loud events, like fireworks They both mention right off the bat that the hill cats seem pretty blasé about fireworks. There is NO reaction. They are used to them since there are at least two decent sized displays per year. Laura, who is an expert on the cats unique personalities claim that the hill cats seem to react very individually to the fireworks. Certain cats are not crazy about them while others will carry on as normal. Brownie for example, the larger orange cat is not bothered by anything, while Coal is a bit more skittish and will hide.
Laura says that even though the cats don't react much to fireworks they sure are shocked when the 21 gun salute happens. From my understanding this is 21 canons going off! Even we would be shocked if we didn't know the sound was coming! When Laura was telling me that generally the hill cats don't react to noises or commotion the Snowbirds passed overhead. Wooooshhhh!!! This sent Blackie, who was basking in a patch of sun at our feet scrambling like a rocket for a place to hide! Hm...perhaps then it is noises that are unfamiliar that really get cats to react? Since we can’t ask them in their language all we can do is study them and try and decipher it for ourselves.
It seems pretty safe to say however that even though cats are sensitive to noise, the noise that they react to is different. Not only is it a matter of personality that makes cats behave differently but the unfamiliar. The Parliament Hill cats react differently to fireworks than one may expect, but to truly get to know how unique these cats are read on.
There are several theories about how the stray cats came to live on the Parliament Hill. The cats may have simply just gathered to the hill to live because they like it, but the most popular and widely accepted story is that the original cats were ratters. They were brought into the Parliament buildings and allowed to roam the halls to catch all the mice and rats. Over time technology replaced the cats and they were freed. The cats then decided to make the hills next to the Parliament buildings their home.
Now these are all great stories, but way back in history these cats were likely released to weather the elements and fend for themselves, trying to survive. Back then this may have been a commonly accepted practice. This being said, Brian believes the ratters theory is untrue. He states "This is the most popular story, but not one I believe. The only known reports of cats in the Parliament Buildings is a Hansard report in the 1950's stating that the cats were no longer required. I don't believe they were abandoned as there would have been an outcry (I hope) and because there are stories of cats living on the hill before the 1950's. I believe the original cats were scavengers that roamed a dump that was to the west of Parliament Hill in the 1920's." Despite the harsh living conditions, whichever theory is true survival prevailed and the cat colony grew. Eventually the cats were cared for and Brian puts this best: "the cats were cared for on an ad-hoc basis by parliamentary security guards who would occasionally feed them on their lunch hour. In the 1970's the cats were cared for on a daily basis by Irene Desormeaux, a compassionate cat lover. She was followed by René Chartrand, the Catman of Parliament Hill, who cared for them from the early 1980's until 2008. He domesticated the felines and because of his engaging personality the sanctuary became a much visited tourist attraction. When René retired an organized group of volunteers, called the Cat Caregivers continued the tradition."
Today the cats are well taken care of. Volunteers provide the cats with fresh water, food, shelter (modeled to look like the parliament buildings) and when invited a bit of affection. Local veterinarians offer checkups, sterilization operations and medication when the cats need it. Essentially the cats are free to do whatever they wish. With a bit of human compassion and care they do not freeze to death in the winter and can take shelter from the sweltering summer heat. Not only are they helping the cats but wind up helping other animals as well. Squirrels, raccoons and even insects take advantage of the free smorgasbord of food as well. We did catch a little, black squirrel stealing a bite and you can see it in the video.
As you can also see in the video Brian talks about sterilizing the cats. It is to keep the population of the cats under control and maintain a small colony where food and medicine can easily be provided. With a smaller, manageable group competition is not too strong among the cats. Brain tells us that all the cats are fixed, and when the last of these cats goes that will be the end of the Parliament Hill cats as we know them.Everything is done for them in the name of protecting them. They are not only there to attract tourists, or draw crowds to Parliament Hill. Sterilization is a common practice in stray cat colonies all over North America and can help prevent the spread of disease and suffering. Maybe by the time the last cat on Parliament Hill disappears Canada will finally respect the fine balance between nature’s creatures and urban life. Perhaps the Parliament Hill Cats will serve as a symbol of this developing respect in the days to come.
Article by Andrea Cook
Photos and Video by Andrea Cook and Tom DiSandolo
See below for individual descriptions of the cats. For even more photos go to the gallery.
To get to the bottom of this Brian Caines, a devoted Parliament Hill cat colony volunteer is hot on the task. He keeps a close eye on the twelve stray cats that live on parliament hill for a few days before July 01. Particularly he watches Louis and Coal, the newest members of the colony who have yet to experience the fireworks. He looks for any reaction or change in behavior. Since the Parliament Hill sanctuary is closed to the public on July 01 and there are hundreds of thousands of people there, Brian does not actually see the cats until the next morning July 02. He invites the Éléphant Mauve team to come have breakfast with the cats and see for ourselves if they seem affected by the fireworks.
The cats are all active and anxiously awaiting their food when Éléphant Mauve arrives. The cats are only interested in the food coming but a group of tourists tries to attract their attention anyway. After the cats are fed and munch eagerly on their wetfood, Brian and Laura Jaremkow show us around and help shed light on the fireworks issue.
First, they introduce us to each of the cats that are there that morning. The cats are free to come and go as they wish. Some days you may only see some of them, but we got to see almost all of them. The only ones missing are Ti-Gris and René (the eldest.) The cats are very used to people and attention from people. Some of them will even let the volunteers like Brian and Laura pick them up.
Second, Brian and Laura tell us about their observations of the cats behavior during loud events, like fireworks They both mention right off the bat that the hill cats seem pretty blasé about fireworks. There is NO reaction. They are used to them since there are at least two decent sized displays per year. Laura, who is an expert on the cats unique personalities claim that the hill cats seem to react very individually to the fireworks. Certain cats are not crazy about them while others will carry on as normal. Brownie for example, the larger orange cat is not bothered by anything, while Coal is a bit more skittish and will hide.
Laura says that even though the cats don't react much to fireworks they sure are shocked when the 21 gun salute happens. From my understanding this is 21 canons going off! Even we would be shocked if we didn't know the sound was coming! When Laura was telling me that generally the hill cats don't react to noises or commotion the Snowbirds passed overhead. Wooooshhhh!!! This sent Blackie, who was basking in a patch of sun at our feet scrambling like a rocket for a place to hide! Hm...perhaps then it is noises that are unfamiliar that really get cats to react? Since we can’t ask them in their language all we can do is study them and try and decipher it for ourselves.
It seems pretty safe to say however that even though cats are sensitive to noise, the noise that they react to is different. Not only is it a matter of personality that makes cats behave differently but the unfamiliar. The Parliament Hill cats react differently to fireworks than one may expect, but to truly get to know how unique these cats are read on.
There are several theories about how the stray cats came to live on the Parliament Hill. The cats may have simply just gathered to the hill to live because they like it, but the most popular and widely accepted story is that the original cats were ratters. They were brought into the Parliament buildings and allowed to roam the halls to catch all the mice and rats. Over time technology replaced the cats and they were freed. The cats then decided to make the hills next to the Parliament buildings their home.
Now these are all great stories, but way back in history these cats were likely released to weather the elements and fend for themselves, trying to survive. Back then this may have been a commonly accepted practice. This being said, Brian believes the ratters theory is untrue. He states "This is the most popular story, but not one I believe. The only known reports of cats in the Parliament Buildings is a Hansard report in the 1950's stating that the cats were no longer required. I don't believe they were abandoned as there would have been an outcry (I hope) and because there are stories of cats living on the hill before the 1950's. I believe the original cats were scavengers that roamed a dump that was to the west of Parliament Hill in the 1920's." Despite the harsh living conditions, whichever theory is true survival prevailed and the cat colony grew. Eventually the cats were cared for and Brian puts this best: "the cats were cared for on an ad-hoc basis by parliamentary security guards who would occasionally feed them on their lunch hour. In the 1970's the cats were cared for on a daily basis by Irene Desormeaux, a compassionate cat lover. She was followed by René Chartrand, the Catman of Parliament Hill, who cared for them from the early 1980's until 2008. He domesticated the felines and because of his engaging personality the sanctuary became a much visited tourist attraction. When René retired an organized group of volunteers, called the Cat Caregivers continued the tradition."
Today the cats are well taken care of. Volunteers provide the cats with fresh water, food, shelter (modeled to look like the parliament buildings) and when invited a bit of affection. Local veterinarians offer checkups, sterilization operations and medication when the cats need it. Essentially the cats are free to do whatever they wish. With a bit of human compassion and care they do not freeze to death in the winter and can take shelter from the sweltering summer heat. Not only are they helping the cats but wind up helping other animals as well. Squirrels, raccoons and even insects take advantage of the free smorgasbord of food as well. We did catch a little, black squirrel stealing a bite and you can see it in the video.
As you can also see in the video Brian talks about sterilizing the cats. It is to keep the population of the cats under control and maintain a small colony where food and medicine can easily be provided. With a smaller, manageable group competition is not too strong among the cats. Brain tells us that all the cats are fixed, and when the last of these cats goes that will be the end of the Parliament Hill cats as we know them.Everything is done for them in the name of protecting them. They are not only there to attract tourists, or draw crowds to Parliament Hill. Sterilization is a common practice in stray cat colonies all over North America and can help prevent the spread of disease and suffering. Maybe by the time the last cat on Parliament Hill disappears Canada will finally respect the fine balance between nature’s creatures and urban life. Perhaps the Parliament Hill Cats will serve as a symbol of this developing respect in the days to come.
Article by Andrea Cook
Photos and Video by Andrea Cook and Tom DiSandolo
See below for individual descriptions of the cats. For even more photos go to the gallery.
 Brownie is one of the descendents of the original colony of Parliament Hill Ratters.  Fluffy is one of the first cats we met on the hill, and was waiting for breakfast while receiving pats from eager tourists. He is also the only cat with long hair.  Louis joined the Parliament Hill colony after being abandoned there with Coal. He and Coal quickly integrated. Since there were only 10 cats at the time volunteers decided it was ok for them to stay instead of going to the humane society. Not all cats can handle a life outdoors and get along with the cats in the colony. He likes attention from people and is very young and active.  Coal became a part of the colony at the same time as Louis and although he gets along well with the cats, he is quite shy around people. He prefers to keep to himself. After he ate his breakfast he left to go out and about on his own.  Bugsy is a male unneutered cat (he is too feral to be operated on) that surprisingly takes his orders from Momma and Snowball, both females. Here he is waiting patiently for snowball and Momma to eat their food before he digs in.  Spot is another black cat like Coal. Spot is hard to spot' because he is rarely at the cat buildings. |
 Blackie is 13 years old. He is also a descendent of the original Parliament Hill cats. He is currently under medical care and may be looking for a simple, easier life in someone’s home.  Bébé has been around the hill for a long time and is very independent. She comes and goes as she pleases and sometimes you may catch her at the 'cat parliament buildings', but not always.  Max has amazing eyes! He likes to stick close to food, but shys away a bit from the public. On a visit to the hill you will likely catch a glimpse of him, but he may not come too close.  Momma, Snowball, and Bugs were chased away from the original parliament hill sanctuary for some reason and now live on the hill behind the main block instead. Momma was abandoned at the cat sanctuary and it turns out she was pregnant. She gave birth to Snowball and they both live on Parliament Hill.  Snowball is one of Momma’s kittens. Snowball too lives behind the main block and has an extra toe on her front paw. |
