Parliament Hill’s “Catman” René Chartrand died Sunday in a Gatineau hospital, according to an obituary on the Outaouais Funerary Cooperative’s website.
He was 92.
An Ottawa native, Chartrand tended to the cats that lived in the cat sanctuary on Parliament Hill until his retirement in 2008 due to health concerns. The cat sanctuary officially closed down in 2013, reported CBC.
Tributes on the Cats of Parliament Hill Facebook page have poured in following the news of his death.
“I am so grateful for the hard work of all volunteers, and in particular to the catman of Parliament Hill, René Chartrand, for keeping the sanctuary going long enough,” wrote Sally Anna Sax, a volunteer for the cat sanctuary. “The world felt like a slightly kinder place after every visit.”
Chartrand is survived by five children.