LOVING AND LETTING GO — Lindsay Scott hugs Foster, who wouldn’t come anywhere near her when she and her husband first took him in. They have fostered Foster for nine months, and now are seeking to find him a forever home.

By Gail Geraghty

Staff Writer

Nine months ago, a lucky cat crossed paths with a young Fryeburg couple who were willing to care for it.

Lindsay and Willie Scott didn’t have to assume responsibility. The cat wasn’t theirs. Their own cat was lost. Someone who’d seen their missing cat flyer called and told them a black and tan short-haired tabby cat matching the description was hanging around their place.

But when the Scotts arrived, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. This cat was a wild and fear-filled stray, a far cry in temperament from their own well-adjusted tabby.

Instead of walking away, however, the Scotts agreed to take the cat to the Harvest Hills Animal Shelter. But the shelter wouldn’t take the cat, Lindsay said. And it was November.

“We didn’t want to just leave him outside,” she said. “It seemed like a good thing to do.”

So they talked it over, and decided they would foster the cat. Given time, care and nurturing, the male tabby, about four years old, would surely become socialized enough to find a forever home.

Thus began the new life of Foster the cat — who had likely already used up more than a few of his nine lives by then.

He lived in the basement for a couple of weeks, eventually progressing to claim the laundry basket. It took several solid months of patient work and positive reinforcement before Foster would allow human touch. “He wasn’t used to people at all,” said Lindsay.

Gradually Foster has gained confidence and learned how to trust. Now, said Lindsay, “He’s very cuddly,” and has taken to demanding his food and affection in a manner only felines best know how to do.

After advertising in several local newspapers and posting notices that Foster is ready for adoption, the Scotts have so far been unsuccessful in finding him a permanent home. They considered whether it might simply be better to adopt the cat themselves, but Lindsay said she and her husband decided to see their responsibility through to its completion.

“We certainly love him, but we agreed when we took him in that he was going to be a foster cat,” she said. They provided the safe haven, the bridge between homelessness and the shelter, and in the process saved him from the fate of becoming irreversibly feral.

Foster is an indoor cat, fully house-trained, not yet neutered, with no health concerns and updated shots. Lindsay said he’d do best in a home without dogs, but other than that, all he really needs is to be lucky once again, and find his forever home.

Anyone interested is asked to contact Lindsay at 739-9546 or Follower40_6_34@yahoo.com