Coal, the Lone Survivor of Canada's Parliamentary Cat Colony, Dies
A Facebook page devoted to Coal said he had had an aggressive form of cancer that had spread to his lungs and received a veterinarian-administered death on Tuesday.
Little is known about Coal's early life. But Danny Taurozzi, Coal's adoptive owner, said it appeared he had been left at the informal colony as a kitten. There, Coal joined as many as three dozen cats who lived in crude shelters vaguely resembling the neighboring Centre Block building of Parliament.
Mr. Taurozzi was among a small group of volunteers who cleaned and maintained the shelters, in untamed bush behind a wrought-iron fence, just steps from the speaker's entrance to the House of Commons. When the cats were not sleeping, they would sometimes allow themselves to be petted, he said.
The colony, which was also frequented by raccoons looking for a free meal, gradually became almost as large an attraction as the rest of Parliament Hill, and a mandatory stop for busloads of tourists.
Mr. Taurozzi said that the Dalai Lama had been among the dignitaries who had paid a visit to the cats. Another visitor, he added, was Stephen Harper when he was Canada's prime minister.
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"The Canadian organizers and the Canadian government need to be very clear about their expectations for their partners in this World Cup and reiterate them and state them over and over again," he said. Elcombe noted Infantino, who has "very much established himself as a friend and supporter of President Trump," could be a key player in determining how the coming months unfold. It's difficult to predict what Trump might do, Zimbalist said. If there are political issues in the United States that he wants to distract people from, "you can see him doing crazier and crazier things internationally to get people's minds off of what's actually happening." But Trump also has shown that he cares about the World Cup and looking good as he hosts the tournament. "I think he does care about image and he does care about being on the world stage," Zimbalist said. "So I can see that being a significant deterrent, actually." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2025. Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
