August 20, 2020
Dumping on the Hill
One of the greatest animal welfare successes in Ottawa was the elimination of the Parliament Hill cat colony seven years ago. The colony was in crisis because the parliamentary precinct was undergoing renovation and the government announced that the colony had to go — one way or another.
Thanks to the tremendous commitment of a team of dedicated volunteers, largely led by a long-time friend of the Ottawa Humane Society, Brian Caines, every cat had the best outcome possible, with the last of the cats taken in by the volunteers. The phase-out was done over many years, aided by the OHS.
In a letter to the Ottawa Citizen, Brian raised the alarm that once again, it appeared cats were being dumped on the Hill. This irresponsible behaviour, of course, led to the colony in the first place. No one who truly cares about the welfare of cats wants to see another colony on the Hill or anywhere else, especially, to quote Brian, “during Ottawa’s long unforgiving winters.”
Dumping cats is irresponsible and immoral. It leads to suffering not only for the cat that is dumped, but often for generations of her progeny.
The OHS accepts stray and unwanted cats anytime, and though we have had to manage our daily intake during the health crisis through appointments, we remain ready to accept all cats that have nowhere else to go.
There is no need to dump a cat, ever.
Bruce Roney
President & CEO