Heartwarming Story of a Devoted Cat Who Stays by Her Dying Best Friend’s Side

In this world, there is no one that Trooper the cat loves more than her best friend, Sarah Whaley, a 96-year-old woman. Trooper’s loyalty and devotion to Sarah are truly remarkable.

It was Alexis Hackney, Sarah’s granddaughter, and her family who first encountered Trooper. While renovating their home, they heard a faint meowing coming from the basement. Upon investigating, they discovered a tiny newborn kitten.

“She was trapped in the wall, and my mom and sister had to break the sheetrock to rescue her,” Alexis recounted. “She was only about 2 weeks old, with her eyes barely open.”

Despite their efforts to locate the kitten’s mother, they couldn’t find her. So, Trooper became part of their family in Tallahassee, Florida, where they lived with Sarah.

“My grandmother actually lived with us for 18 years. She moved down here to take care of me and my sisters when we were little. And she just stayed. She was definitely a major part of our household. She was the matriarch,” shared Alexis.

Sarah adored all the cats in their home, but she developed a special bond with Trooper, the rescue kitten whom she showered with love and care.

“My grandmother would bottle-feed her and have conversations with her, telling her how cute and sweet she was,” Alexis said. “Trooper is the kind of cat that attaches to one person, and that person was undoubtedly my grandmother.”

The deep affection between Trooper and Sarah was evident to everyone. However, the family only realized the true extent of their connection when Sarah’s health took a turn for the worse. “My grandmother’s condition began deteriorating around Christmas, and we started noticing that Trooper was always by her side,” recalled Alexis.

In an effort to comfort her beloved friend, Trooper not only spent most of her days sleeping on Sarah’s bed, but she also brought her “gifts” she found around the house.

“She wasn’t the type to play with toys or move things around the house, but when my grandma couldn’t move around as much, Trooper started bringing her things—whatever she found on the floor, like socks or a straw. As my grandmother’s health declined further, Trooper increased the number of items she brought. She would go into my brother’s room, grab his socks, and carry them downstairs, laying them on the floor,” Alexis explained.

Trooper had a certain look in her eyes that conveyed her understanding of the situation. She was visibly distressed by her human companion’s severe illness and did everything she could to alleviate her suffering.

Whenever Sarah experienced panic attacks, Trooper would rush to her side, providing comfort and solace. “Trooper would run into the room and hop onto the bed, gently stroking my grandmother and helping her calm down,” said Alexis.

“As my grandmother neared the end of her life, she became disoriented. Trooper remained faithfully by her side, enduring unintentional hits or tight squeezes without ever retaliating. She would simply jump down, wait for my grandmother to settle, and then return to bed with her. If anyone else had done that, it would have ended badly. We would have been scratched and bitten, but Trooper loved my grandmother unconditionally and never once lashed out at her,” she added.

The entire family witnessed the immense love Trooper had for Sarah, and the pain in the cat’s eyes when she looked at her ailing best friend was truly heartbreaking.

Finally, the inevitable moment arrived—Sarah passed away a few days before her 97th birthday. Alexis described Trooper as inconsolable during that time, even avoiding her grandmother’s lifeless body.

“I took her into the room to show her that Grandma wasn’t coming back… because if cats don’t understand, they’ll keep looking for their owners. I wanted her to grasp that our grandma was no longer there. But Trooper ran away and hid under my parents’ bed. After they had taken my grandma’s body, Trooper stopped eating. She’s not a vocal cat, but she would walk around the house, crying all the time,” shared Alexis.

Although Trooper has gradually recovered since the funeral, Alexis mentioned that she still enters Sarah’s room to leave gifts on the floor, such as socks and other objects. It is clear that Trooper deeply misses her human companion.