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Ottawa Citizen

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.' 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 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 Before he was starring in movies and posing for photos, Coal called the grassy lawns of Parliament Hill home. 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 frequent visitors. '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.