There once was a cat named Sticky. He was a kitten when I rescued him after someone had glued him to a road on a cold October morning. His story went viral almost overnight. One day we were just a guy and a cat, and the next we were on the news, in magazines, and all over the internet. People connected to him — to us — and that one moment became the start of something much bigger than I’d ever imagined.
I wrote a children’s book about him. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had a whole children’s book series and several other side books. We began to visit schools and groups, where I spoke about kindness and not losing hope. We donated books to schools and children’s hospitals all over the world. We got a school built for kids in Pakistan.
For six years, we built a brand. A movement. I’m telling you that cat could get some things done.
Sticky became more than a pet or a “cat.” He was my business partner — my best friend. I talked to him about real life things and somehow, I always came away with answers. I could “hear” his voice in my head. And he gave pretty good advice.
Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I started to believe that Sticky himself was a little bit of magic. In fact, I still believe that. I’ll never believe he was a “cat.” I don’t know what he was, but I’ll never believe he was a “cat.”
