Once a street cat, now a star on big screens, this is Bob, one adorable furry ball of cuteness that the world just can’t get enough of. The story about Bob begins from the moment he met James, a homeless musician, and it ends in a totally unexpected way.
James Bowen has been a heroin addict that was living on the streets for 10 years. He was on a last-chance methadone program and had just been allowed to move into a flat in sheltered housing.
He was barely surviving by playing Nirvana songs on his guitar on the streets of London. Just when he was about to give up on himself, Bob came along.
One day, Bob climbed through his window searching for food. It was clear that he had intended to stay. But then James realized that he had an abscess on his leg, probably as a result of a fight. Even though he was barely making for a living, James used the last £30 he had in his pocket to take Bob to the vet.
He wanted to help the poor street cat, but he was not interested in adopting it since he also did not have a place to stay. So, the next thing that James did, was trying to find Bob an owner. But, Bob made it clear that he has no intentions of leaving, so he started to follow James everywhere. Literally everywhere.
“After nursing him back to health it seemed he needed me and I felt a bond with him,” says James.
“Every day he’d follow me a little bit more. I’d get home from busking and there he would be on my doorstep so he would stay the night. And then one day he actually followed me on to the bus,” says James Bowen.
When Bowen got on the bus to ride to the street corner where he played guitar for tips, Bob hopped up on the seat next to him.
“And that was the day that changed our lives,” Bowen says.
Soon, the bond between Bob and his new owner developed on a deeper level. Bob become James’s companion. While he was playing on the streets for pennies, Bob sat on his shoulders or kept him company. The tourists were amazed by the view, so they started taking photos or shooting videos which went viral on social media.
Bob was more than just a companion. He had become James’s savior. Thanks to Bob, he started to take care of himself and his new best friend.
“It was at that point I felt ‘well I am going to have to start taking responsibility for this little creature if he’s going to be following me around’. It’s not like you can really tell a cat what to do. They do what they want to do,” says James.
What happened next?
James soon becomes drug-free and thanks to Bob, he saw the different side of life. When James realized the popularity that he and Bob soon had around the world, he decided to write a book about their lives and adventures.
“Bob gave me the determination to knuckle down and get over it. Using drugs is a selfish thing; Bob gave me something else to focus on,” James Bowen said.
A book agent took notice of the story. It wasn’t long before the memoir, A Street Cat Named Bob, was published back in 2012. The book has been translated into more than 35 languages and it turned out that the book was a huge success. The book has become a best-seller.
Just a few years later, the book was turned into a movie. And the main star was obviously Bob, even though he was not supposed to be in it originally.
“Bob was never supposed to be in the film. The producer brought these cats over from Canada. They were great cats but they didn’t know London”, says James.
That’s when Bob took things in his hands, or shall we say paws.
“It’s absolutely blown my mind,” says Bowen. Today the two are most often seen with Bob sitting on Bowen’s shoulder. “He’s a companion, and he really does think he’s one of the boys. He’s a very special little man.”
If you want to go through all the details of the story, and we’re sure you will, you can read the book named “A street cat named Bob”, or you can always see the movie which is a “must watch” for every cat lover!
