Angel Made Sure I Was Where I Needed to Be

A dear friend’s cat was in trouble, and she was about to text me at 4:30 a.m.—but I didn’t know it yet. Angel did.

Angel is my cat who had crossed over the year before. I don’t often feel her presence, but that night, she made it clear she was still with me.

I had fallen asleep on the sofa and woke up twice, thinking I really should get up, turn off the lights, and go upstairs to bed. But I felt so comfortable that I let my eyes close again.

Then, around 4 a.m., my eyes flew open, and I felt it—Get up! Get up!

I jumped up, disturbing my cat Cookie, who had been happily sleeping on my chest. I turned off all the lights downstairs and followed a glimpse of a cat disappearing up the stairs into my bedroom—only to realize that Cookie was still on the sofa, looking annoyed.

Processing that for a moment, I realized the tail of the cat who’d run upstairs was darker than Cookie’s. I knew it was Angel. She had woken me and guided me upstairs to brush my teeth and wash my face so I’d be awake when my friend’s text came through, instead of seeing it hours later.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a text came through: her cat was having labored breathing, and she was afraid she might be dying. The cat wasn’t ready to leave; but she needed help clearing her energy and calming her breathing.

I was able to connect and help her stabilize. I knew I’d been woken up for a reason—Angel made sure I was there when I was needed.

I went back to bed that night filled with gratitude—for Angel, for being woken up in time to help my friend’s cat, and for the quiet ways our animals keep showing up for us, reminding us that our bond with them never truly ends.