It only took a few minutes for Chuck Hawley to know he had found a lifelong friend. In 2018, near Salem, Oregon, he discovered a tiny kitten stuck to the ground with glue. After freeing the kitten and looking for his owners with no luck, Hawley took him home.
For six years, Sticky and Hawley shared many special moments. Sticky's story inspired Hawley to write a children's book called "A Sticky Situation," which became popular with animal lovers around the world. The loyal cat stayed by Hawley's side as he wrote more books, including one about loss called "We Don't Say Goodbye."
Hawley named the kitten Sticky, and they became best friends right away. Hawley had owned pets before, but Sticky was different. They loved going to their local coffee shop, Dutch Bros, where they would sit together. Even though Sticky couldn't talk, he always found ways to communicate with Hawley.
"I really did get answers to some important life questions from that guy," Hawley said. "Sticky wasn't a normal cat. He was pure magic."
Sadly, at the end of 2024, Sticky got very sick. Hawley had to make the heartbreaking choice to put his beloved cat to sleep. On the day of the appointment, something amazing happened.
"My wife and I walked into the room, and she immediately pointed at the bookshelf. 'We Don't Say Goodbye' was sitting on top of the pile," Hawley said. "It felt like he was telling me he would see me again and not to forget what we had shared."
With their book in one hand and Sticky's paw in the other, Hawley said goodbye to his best friend through tears. He had no idea that another sign from Sticky was coming soon.
A few days after losing Sticky, Hawley was driving when he passed the Oregon Humane Society. Still feeling very sad, he decided to go in and visit some kittens. He wasn't planning to adopt one but, thought seeing cute kittens might help him feel better.
When he got inside, a worker told him all the kittens had been adopted that morning. But Hawley could still visit the older cats in the back if he wanted. At first, he decided not to, but just as he reached the front door, he changed his mind.
"I had gotten all the way to the front door before deciding to go back and take a look," Hawley said.
In the back, Hawley saw a row of metal cages covered with blue sheets and one glass cage at the end with a kitten that looked like Sticky. He looked at the kitten from far away, wished him well, and started to leave. But as he walked past the covered cages toward the door, he suddenly felt something touch his shoulder.
"I turned to leave, and this paw reached out and touched my arm. I took out my phone to take a picture of this paw hanging out of the cage, and he just left it there," Hawley said. "He knew what I needed, and his whole purpose was to make me feel better."
Hawley pulled back the sheet and was shocked. The cat inside, named Allen, looked different from Sticky but reminded him of his old friend when he turned his head. Right then, Hawley knew he couldn't leave without him.
"I just knew right then that he needed to come home with me," Hawley said.
"He has been the best medicine I could have ever asked for," Hawley said. "Getting to know him has been the distraction I need to heal. And on the days when I can't escape the sadness, he will snuggle up next to me and wait for the sad feelings to go away."
Allen fit into the Hawleys' home perfectly, as if he had always lived there. He even knew all of Sticky's favorite places to rest, including the hidden ones. To Hawley, it seemed like "he was told about them by the guy who used them before."
Even after his death, Sticky is still sending Hawley messages. Dealing with the pain of losing him hasn't been easy, but with Allen now in his life, Hawley feels sure that Sticky is still watching over him.
"I can't imagine where I'd be right now if Sticky hadn't sent Allen to find me," Hawley said.