Hawley and the kitten, whom he named Sticky, clicked instantly. Sticky was far from Hawley’s first pet, but the two quickly forged a bond unlike any other. One of their favorite activities was driving to their local coffee shop, Dutch Bros, and talking about life.

Although Sticky didn’t have the words to respond, he always found a way to convey his messages to Hawley.

“I really did get a lot of answers to some important life-type questions from that guy,” Hawley told The Dodo. “Sticky was no normal cat. [He was] pure magic.”

In their six years together, Sticky and Hawley celebrated many accomplishments by each other’s side. Sticky’s story inspired Hawley to write a children’s book, “A Sticky Situation,” which garnered the attention of animal lovers worldwide.

And the loyal cat stayed close by while Hawley added more books to the series, including one about grief titled “We Don’t Say Goodbye.”

Sadly, at the end of 2024, Sticky’s health took a turn for the worse. Hawley had to make the gut-wrenching decision to put Sticky to sleep, and on the day of the appointment, he received another sign from his departing companion.

“My wife and I walked into the room where they do it, and she immediately pointed at the bookshelf. ‘We Don’t Say Goodbye’ was at the top of the pile,” Hawley said. “It was like he was telling me he would see me later and not to forget what we had done and to keep going.”

With their book in one hand and Sticky’s paw in the other, Hawley tearfully bid farewell to his very best friend. He had no idea that another sign from Sticky was waiting just around the corner.

A few days after losing Sticky, Hawley unexpectedly drove past the Oregon Humane Society and decided to check out the kittens inside. He wasn’t looking to adopt anyone, as he was still riddled with grief, but he figured hanging out with fluffy babies would make him feel better.

When he went inside, a staff member shared that all the kittens had been adopted that morning, but Hawley was still welcome to check out the remaining cats in the back. Hawley initially decided against it, but as he turned to leave, he suddenly 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 found a row of metal cages covered with blue tarps and a glass cage with a Sticky-like kitten at the end. Hawley admired the kitten from afar, wished him a good life, then decided to leave. But as he walked past the tarp-covered cages towards the door, the grieving cat dad suddenly felt something on his shoulder.

“I turned to leave, and this paw reached out and tapped my arm. I took my phone out to take a photo of this paw sticking out of the cage, and while I was doing that, he just left it dangling,” Hawley said. “He just left it there. Like he knew what I needed, and his whole mission was to make me feel better.”

Hawley pulled back the tarp and was shocked to find a vision of Sticky on the other side. This cat, Allen, had his own unique look, but something about him when he turned to the side resembled Sticky. At that moment, Hawley decided he couldn’t leave without him.

“I just knew right then that he needed to come home with me,” Hawley said.

Hawley left the humane society that day with Allen wrapped in his arms and a new spark of hope in his heart. Allen could never replace Sticky, but his presence was already healing an impossible wound.

“[H]e has been the absolute best medicine I could have ever asked for,” Hawley said. “Getting to know him has been the distraction that I need to heal. And on the days I just can’t escape that grief, he will just snuggle up next to me and wait for the sad to go away.”

Allen adjusted to the Hawleys’ home swimmingly, as if he’d always lived there. He even knew all of Sticky’s favorite spots to relax, including the less-obvious ones. To Hawley, it was as if “he was told about them by the guy who used them last.”

There’s no doubt that, even after his passing, Sticky is still sending Hawley messages. Battling through the grief of losing him has been no easy feat, but with Allen now in his life, Hawley feels assured that Sticky’s still looking out for him from the other side.

“I can’t imagine where I’d be at this point if Sticky hadn’t sent Allen to find me,” Hawley said. The Dodo