SALEM - Lucy Pelletier makes daily patrols around downtown Salem, is well-known to business owners, brings comfort to the local homeless population and enjoys talking with everyone.
This might be the sound of a perfect platform for making a run for the City Council, but Lucy is no candidate.
Lucy is a cat, a Maine coon cat, to be exact. And he - yes, he - has become a fixture in the downtown.
"Lucy - he roams," said Rob Wall, a Crombie Street resident. Wall lives across the street from Lucy and his owner, Dave Pelletier. "He must be the reincarnation of a former politician because the cat talks to everybody."
Whether he sees you every day or for the first time, Lucy will welcome you with open paws.
He typically stands guard - sometimes while meticulously licking himself clean - outside the front entrances of the White Hen Pantry on Norman Street or the Dunkin' Donuts on Washington Street.
Customers either give a quick, but bewildered, glance at the cat or bend down and give the animal a pat on the head. Either way, Lucy meows back.
Lucy's favorite spot is The Barking Cat, a shop on Essex Street that caters to dog and cat owners.
Owner Jeff McKee said Lucy stops by almost every day.
"He likes to talk to people and get the attention," McKee said. "He just hangs out. He's very sweet and seems to like everybody."
Lucy will often curl up for a nap there, play with a toy or get into the catnip.
"There's a basket near the counter with a bunch of kitty toys, and he'll sleep in that," McKee said.
Customers who bring their dogs into the store receive various greetings, depending on their canine companions' size.
For the smaller dogs, Lucy doesn't really react too much, McKee said.
"But the bigger dogs, he'll give a bit of a guttural sound. He found a couple hiding spots behind the counter. He stands up so high so he can watch the dogs."
As he's strolling the streets, Lucy usually visits people at the YMCA on Essex Street or the city's homeless population, who watched over the cat when the Salem Mission was still on Crombie Street, Pelletier said.
"All the guys would look after him," he said.
Because of his penchant for roaming, people often think Lucy is lost, which prompted Pelletier to get a tag for the cat that says "I'm not lost" along with his address.
This might be the sound of a perfect platform for making a run for the City Council, but Lucy is no candidate.
Lucy is a cat, a Maine coon cat, to be exact. And he - yes, he - has become a fixture in the downtown.
"Lucy - he roams," said Rob Wall, a Crombie Street resident. Wall lives across the street from Lucy and his owner, Dave Pelletier. "He must be the reincarnation of a former politician because the cat talks to everybody."
Whether he sees you every day or for the first time, Lucy will welcome you with open paws.
He typically stands guard - sometimes while meticulously licking himself clean - outside the front entrances of the White Hen Pantry on Norman Street or the Dunkin' Donuts on Washington Street.
Customers either give a quick, but bewildered, glance at the cat or bend down and give the animal a pat on the head. Either way, Lucy meows back.
Lucy's favorite spot is The Barking Cat, a shop on Essex Street that caters to dog and cat owners.
Owner Jeff McKee said Lucy stops by almost every day.
"He likes to talk to people and get the attention," McKee said. "He just hangs out. He's very sweet and seems to like everybody."
Lucy will often curl up for a nap there, play with a toy or get into the catnip.
"There's a basket near the counter with a bunch of kitty toys, and he'll sleep in that," McKee said.
Customers who bring their dogs into the store receive various greetings, depending on their canine companions' size.
For the smaller dogs, Lucy doesn't really react too much, McKee said.
"But the bigger dogs, he'll give a bit of a guttural sound. He found a couple hiding spots behind the counter. He stands up so high so he can watch the dogs."
As he's strolling the streets, Lucy usually visits people at the YMCA on Essex Street or the city's homeless population, who watched over the cat when the Salem Mission was still on Crombie Street, Pelletier said.
"All the guys would look after him," he said.
Because of his penchant for roaming, people often think Lucy is lost, which prompted Pelletier to get a tag for the cat that says "I'm not lost" along with his address.
The Pelletier family got Lucy five years ago when he was a kitten.
Pelletier said his family decided on the name Lucy because they thought he was a female. A veterinarian broke the news that Lucy is, in fact, all boy.
"The name stuck," Pelletier said.
While the Pelletiers' other cat, Simon, tends to stick close to home, Lucy has always wandered.
"Lucy has a National Geographic streak in him," Pelletier said. "He likes to go exploring."
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