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Globe and Mail
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Coal, Parliament Hill's last feline and ‘symbol of compassion,' dies at age 17
Coal Taurozzi favoured a stylish blue tie on public outings, but that's not what made him a gentleman feline. At the cat colony on Parliament Hill where, according to early reports, he'd been abandoned as a kitten, he was never seen with a bird or mouse in his jaws, and he maintained a polite truce with the raccoons who made guest appearances at mealtime. When the cat colony closed in 2013, and he accepted an invitation of permanent residence from public servant Danny Taurozzi, he graciously endured many unwarranted swats from his diva cat sister, Valerie, and eventually slept at her side, a protective arm across her body, when she became ill. Later, he volunteered at a local Ottawa long-term care home, offering his always immaculate ebony fur to resident veterans for comforting caresses. Coal, the last living cat to have officially resided on the same grounds as the House of Commons, died peacefully on Tuesday, on a cozy sofa, with Mr. Taurozzi and his cat-brother Winston at his side. He was 17. His passing was announced online by the country's top cat, Nico, who deigns to live with Prime Minister Mark Carney and his family. Despite his humble beginnings, Coal made a unique yet unsurprisingly unsuccessful run for prime minister in 2015. With the help of Mr. Taurozzi, he campaigned, with posters and videos, on a humanitarian platform calling for more attention to animals. Like the politicians he grew up with, Coal never met a camera he didn't love, said Mr. Taurozzi, who diligently enabled his vanity with a busy Facebook page. When a Japanese television crew filmed at the cat habitat, he featured prominently. He also starred in a documentary about cats of the world. And he graciously preened for the many tourists snapping photographs at the colony. Wherever there was a camera, Mr. Taurozzi recalled this week, 'there was Coal.' At the same time, Mr. Taurozzi said, 'He wasn't a show-off. He was the reasonable cat. He did his thing, and didn't cause trouble.' Given his lack of interest in hunting, however, Coal did not uphold the original responsibilities of his Parliament Hill predecessors. Published accounts say the cats were deliberately located there to dispatch a rodent infestation in the basement of the newly built Centre Block in the 1920s – although another version of the origin story suggests a battalion of cats arrived a century earlier on orders from Colonel John By, to clear out the rats during the construction of the Rideau Canal. In the 1950s, exterminators made the feline terms of employment obsolete. The colony, which at peak population numbered about 30 and eventually included insulated wooden homes for the cats to take refuge from the cold, received care from groundskeepers, as well as unofficial security protection from the RCMP. In the colony's last decades, a team of volunteers took over feedings and medical care. Mr. Taurozzi, who helped out several times a week in the last years of the colony, says he once encountered former prime minister Stephen Harper, a well-known cat lover, leaving his office on the Hill. Mr. Harper expressed his gratitude to the volunteers. Although members of Parliament routinely visited the cats, Mr. Taurozzi cannot confirm that Coal ever officially met a prime minister. First Person: Walking my cat on a leash reminded me that city parks are sacred In 2013, renovations would have required the colony to be relocated. By then, the cats were older, and a spay and neuter program had dwindled their ranks. With the colony closing, Mr. Taurozzi says, the half a dozen or so remaining cats were all adopted. Coal adapted happily to indoor life in Mr. Taurozzi's Ottawa home, where he liked to watch the birds in trees across the street from a hammock suctioned to the window. He insisted, however, on hallway walks in his apartment building, and enjoyed being carried in Mr. Taurozzi's arms to Pet Valu and the bank. He and his siblings also travelled with Mr. Taurozzi on work trips to Toronto, where he occasionally hosted his owner's curious co-workers in his hotel room. And when cat or human became sick in the house, Mr. Taurozzi said, Coal kept them company. His Facebook page eventually grew to 5,000 followers, mostly fellow Canadians, but also fans from as far away as Iraq. Toward the end of his life, Coal developed kidney issues and arthritis, but insurance and donations, and caring veterinarians, ensured he received gold-standard care, Mr. Taurozzi said. 'He was generous with people, and people were generous with him.' When he was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in March, 2024, he received treatment that kept him pain-free. But his health took a turn on Canada Day, his honorary birthday, and no more could be done. He received what a grieving Mr. Taurozzi delicately called a veterinarian-assisted death on July 8. 'He was a symbol of Canadian compassion,' Mr. Taurozzi says, 'a gentle presence that touched the hearts of countless people. He will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.'
National Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
An ode to Coal: Last of the famous Parliament Hill cats
In his 17 years of life, Coal was a source of comfort, a documentary movie star and something of a lobbyist. Article content He lived a bright and happy life roaming Parliament Hill and later after adoption. But, instead of a pension or a job title, he had jet-black fur, whiskers and a long, fluffy tail. Article content Article content Coal, the last of the Parliament Hill cat colony, died of a rare and aggressive form of cancer on Tuesday beside his human dad, Danny Taurozzi, and feline adopted brother Winston. Article content Article content 'Coal's condition had become grievous and irremediable, beyond what love, medicine, or therapies could ease,' a post to Coal's Facebook page read. 'It was time to let him go.' Article content Article content Coal was diagnosed with salivary gland carcinoma in March 2024. After surgery for tumour removal three months later, the cancer spread to his lungs by September that year. In his final months, Coal began to lose weight and eat less, and Taurozzi was advised to put him down earlier this week. Article content 'Saying goodbye to Coal was heart-wrenching, but it was the humane thing to do,' the Facebook post read. 'The tears will flow, and the sadness will linger for some time.' Article content In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Taurozzi spoke of Coal's fulfilling life. Article content The feline had cameos in international documentaries, was a certified therapy cat, visited animal-loving members of Parliament and posed for photos with emergency responders as a 'little nudge' for better protection for animals. Article content 'Coal himself was a gentleman feline with a heart of gold, with not one mean bone in his body,' Taurozzi said. 'He was a very loyal buddy.' Article content Article content Before he was starring in movies and posing for photos, Coal called the grassy lawns of Parliament Hill home. Article content Article content In the 1920s, cats were acquired to deal with rampant rats and mice in the basement of Centre Block. Thirty-five years later, the cats were replaced by pest-controlling chemicals. Without a pension or a dollar to their name, the retired felines remained on the Hill, attracting thousands of tourists, filmmakers, Hill staff and MPs each year. Article content 'I've been told more than once that they were stress relievers for the people on the Hill,' Taurozzi said, adding that former prime minister Stephen Harper and former MP John Baird were fans of the sanctuary. 'Just to get the pressure out of the day.' Article content The cats lived in a sanctuary of insulated, small houses similar to the nearby Parliament buildings, maintained and fed by volunteers. The sanctuary was closed in 2013 and all the remaining cats were adopted.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Coal, the Lone Survivor of Canada's Parliamentary Cat Colony, Dies
Coal, the last surviving member of a colony of cats that thrived for decades outside Canada's Parliament and became popular with tourists, has died. He was believed to be 17. 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. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The end of an era: Last feline from Parliament Hill cat colony dies
After putting his name furrward for prime minister and bringing joy to millions of people, the last feline from the beloved former cat colony on Parliament Hill has died. Coal Taurozzi was with his owner Danny Taurozzi and his younger, adoptive brother Winston when he was given veterinary assistance in dying on Wednesday following a long battle with cancer, according to Danny. Coal had just turned 17 on Canada Day, and suffered a sharp decline in health this week. "He was a gentle cat with a heart of gold," Taurozzi said. "He was nice with everybody. He was not aggressive." 'We wouldn't have that in Washington' Coal, with his jet black fur and bright green eyes, for years greeted millions of visitors to the most powerful political grounds in Canada. He was dumped as a kitten on Parliament Hill and grew up in the cat colony, where he was cared for and fed by volunteers. Cats were brought to the House of Commons in its early years to deal with rodents. By the 1950s, their hunting skills were replaced with other pest control methods and they were banished. Volunteers then took care of the mousers, gave them names and built them a tiny village on a slope behind Centre Block for protection. At its height, the sanctuary had more than 30 strays that devoured close to $7,000 worth of cat food every year paid for by donations, not the federal government. For politicians, the cats were stress relievers. The felines were even given unofficial, informal RCMP protection. The sanctuary was also a popular tourist attraction. The Department of Canadian Heritage said Hill guides still get questions about the cats to this day. "Americans absolutely loved it when they came and visited the cats," Danny said. "[They'd say], 'We wouldn't have that in Washington!'" The sanctuary eventually closed in 2013 amid concerns about the animals' welfare. All remaining cats were adopted, including Coal who went home with Taurozzi. Donations gave Coal the best medical care available In the years that followed, Coal acquired a large social media following and even ran for prime minister in the 2015 federal election. Coal captivated national attention once again last year after his owner launched a fundraiser to help pay for his costly medical bills. Coal had a rare and aggressive cancer called salivary gland carcinoma, which later spread to his lungs. He was also fighting arthritis and kidney disease. Taurozzi had pet insurance, but it didn't cover Coal's full medical bills. He said Coal's medical care cost more than $30,000. He raised more than $15,000 through a Go Fund Me campaign, which helped extend Coal's life and gave him the best medical care available. He said he's thankful to everyone who donated, and wants Coal to be remembered as a Canadian symbol of compassion. "It's a special thing to have cats on Parliament Hill," Danny said.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Coal, last surviving cat of cherished Parliament Hill colony, dies
Coal, the Parliament Hill cat colony's last surviving feline, died on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. (Coal, a feline leader from Parliament Hill/Facebook) It's the end of an era on Parliament Hill. Coal, the last surviving feline of the cherished cat colony that sat on Parliament Hill for more than 40 years, died this week, according to his owners. A Facebook page dedicated to Coal announced he had died Tuesday at 17 years old from a 'rare and aggressive cancer.' 'Coal was a sentient feline family member. He was Canada's last surviving Parliament Hill Cat, a living thread to a cherished chapter in our country's history,' the post said. 'He was a symbol of enduring love, quiet dignity, and a gentle presence that touched the hearts of countless people.' Cats were brought to Parliament Hill in the early 1900s to keep down the population of rats and mice before a colony was formed and cared for by local volunteers. The cats on the Hill had become a popular tourist attraction until the colony's closure in 2013. The remaining cats were all adopted into new homes. An article from the Humane Society of Canada reported the colony had nearly 30 cats in 2003. Coal had been diagnosed with salivary gland carcinoma, which later metastasized to his lungs, his owners said. He died surrounded by his 'human dad' Danny Taurozzi and younger adopted feline brother Winston. 'It was a very tough day, and I am a little bit broken. Saying goodbye to Coal was heart wrenching, but it was the humane thing to do. The tears will flow, and the sadness will linger for some time. I will miss you, little buddy,' Taurozzi shared. The aging feline had built a large following on social media and a fundraiser that raised over $15,000 was started to fund his treatments. His owners thanked the veterinarians who helped care for the cat in his remaining years. Despite his illness, his owners say he was able to enjoy nearly a year of a 'good quality of life.' 'He was a feline gentleman with a heart of gold. He will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. Goodbye Coal,' the cat's Facebook page said.
