A Spooky Story (With a happy ending)

Spooky the cat was missing for nearly a month and thanks to the generosity of the community of Glastonbury, he was reunited with his family in Florida last month.  

With Halloween right around the corner, stories of fright will fill the night.

But this spooky story has a happy ending.

While on a trip to Mexico in 2019, Anne Lyons was volunteering at a local animal shelter in Isla Mujeres when she crossed paths with a black cat that would soon change her life forever.

Known as Jaime at the time, the cat bonded with the Glastonbury resident, who wanted to bring the affectionate feline back to the family home on Morgan Drive.  

But, because of a multitude of factors, it was not meant to be at the time. 

After returning to Glastonbury, Anne could not stop thinking about the homeless cat and decided to follow up with the agency and much to her surprise –– Jaime had been transferred to an animal shelter in Boston.  

Anne called it “a sign” and decided to pursue adoption.   

However, adopting the cat that had originally been abandoned in Cancun prior to the pit stop in Isla Mujeres before his arrival in Bean Town would come with a caveat as Jamie had a sister, Maria, and the cats had to be adopted as a pair. 

After some negotiating with her husband, the family welcomed the pair of cats into their home in the fall of 2019 –– renaming Jamie, Spooky, and Maria, Boo Cat. 

For the next four years, the local family lived in harmony until the tale took a twisted turn when the Lyons were in the process of relocating to Florida this past summer

While packing up their house in preparation for the long haul to the Sunshine State, Spooky escaped and was nowhere to be seen, vanishing like a ghost in the night. 

Spooky disappeared on August 27 and the Lyons closed on the sale of their house on September 1 before making the long drive to Florida without their beloved cat.

“I was devastated; my husband and daughter were extremely upset,” recalled Anne. “We were supposed to be on such a fun adventure and instead we were gutted. It felt like our family was not intact.”

Over the next 24 days, the Lyons discovered what has made Glastonbury and the surrounding community so special. 

With the help of several complete strangers and the kindness of the family that bought their house, a search to find Spooky began.

Jill and Andrew Beaule, the new owners of the home on Morgan Drive, were more than willing to help in the search, offering anything they could to reunite Spooky with the Lyons. 

“My husband and I grew up with animals and it pulled on our heartstrings,” Jill said. “We wanted to do anything we could to get Spooky back.”

Anne said the Beaule family allowed cameras and traps to be set up on their property, along with search parties and other disruptions without hesitation. 

“I call them my angels,” Anne said of Jill and Andrew.  

Protector or Animals, Animal Control, and the entire surrounding neighborhood –– featuring residents on Morgan Drive, Hardin Lane, Stevens Lane, and Sherman Drive –– all pitched in, working day and night to find Spooky. 

But the wayward animal remained in the wild for over three weeks despite local neighbors hearing his cries in the night.  
In mid-September, Anne returned to Glastonbury in a desperate attempt to find Spooky, setting up camp in her former yard and battling the rain for several days – but again to no avail. 

On September 21, Anne sadly returned to Florida without Spooky, saying she thought the search may be over. Yet to her amazement, when he checked the cameras on the morning she arrived back in Florida she saw her beloved black cat walking into the trap.

Jill believes that Anne’s trip back to Glastonbury was the catalyst that ultimately ended Spooky’s outdoor adventure. 

“Cats always love to be home and I think with Anne coming back [Spooky] felt that,” Jill stated. “I always think animals have some sort of sixth sense.”

Not even 24 hours after arriving back in Florida, Anne hopped back on a flight to finally reunite with Spooky in Connecticut. 

Anne said there was “a lot of crying” during the reunion, adding, “Cats are special animals. They are part of the family and you can’t give up sometimes.”

Now the Lyons family is whole again, living their best lives in Port St. Lucie thanks to the support of the town they formerly called home.

Anne, who traveled over 10,000 miles between Florida and Glastonbury in the search for Spooky, added that it would not have
been possible without generosity of the entire community and the relentless efforts of Protector of Animals and Animal Control.    

​“You live somewhere for six years and you go to work every day and you see your neighbors, but you don’t really know them, or at least I didn’t, and all of a sudden this little cat bring everyone together and now we’re all friends,” she added.