SALEM, Ore. — Chuck Hawley was heading to work in Salem on an early October morning in 2018 when he noticed cars swerving out of the way and revealing a silhouette of something small. Hawley stopped his truck and walked up to a young kitten literally glued to the road.
"When I went to pick [Sticky] up, she was covered in glue. Her back feet were stuck, so we had to pull the glue off the road," Hawley told KGW in 2018. "She was meowing, she was shaking, she was just shivering and I could see that in the silhouette of her, she was just shaking. She was cold and she had leaves and stuff stuck to her that had blown into her."
Since adopting Sticky, Hawley's story has gone viral and spread worldwide.
"It never seems to die down. It kind of goes in these waves. Last week, somehow we popped up in Italy, so we're getting a lot of messages from Italy." Hawley said.
Hawley turned that fame into a teaching tool for parents and children alike.
"I had always wanted to write kids books. I had a pretty unconventional childhood. Kind of had anxiety most of my life. Saw a lot of situations where people were, so I saw a chance to help and this is how I can help through this situation with Sticky and do some good for some folks," Hawley said.
Hawley wrote "Sticky the Kitty in a Sticky Situation" shortly after adopting Sticky. The book is from Sticky's point of view and teaches a lesson about not being afraid to ask for help.
"It's really about giving people hope and spreading kindness and teaching kids to help each other get through the world and get through life," Hawley said.
Hawley has written a total of nine books that center around helping others.
"They're all self-help books. For a while, we were calling them kid's books that adults should read too. Someone said those are adult books that kids read sometimes," he said.
Out of his nine books, three of them feature Sticky as the main character, with his most recent one called "A Very Sticky Christmas."
Anyone who wants to learn more about Hawley's books can find details on his website.