I absolutely love cats! I grew up with them all my life and today I own two—a gray/white haired tabby named Cherry and a ginger tom named Mickey. But this book isn’t about MY cats, it’s about one particular cat named “Bob. “
A Street Cat Named Bob draws you in right from the very start—at least it did for me! I had no trouble “getting into the book,” since it was so comfortable to read and the characters were intriguing.
This story is told from one man’s point of view, James Bowen. He is the main lead in this non-fiction book. Bob, of course, is right next to his side. James is literally “saved” by Bob as it mentions in the title.
We learn this truth because of the many hardships he endures from the beginnings of his unstable childhood until his adulthood when he meets Bob in the hallway of his apartment in London.
In the first page of the book, James says, “There’s an old adage I read somewhere. It says each of us is given second changes every day of our lives. They are there for the taking. It’s just that we don’t usually take them… I was given a lot of opportunities…for a long time I failed to take any of them, but then, in the early spring of 2007, that finally began to change. It was then that I befriended Bob.”
Bob is a street cat who finds James and helps him turn his life around. James is a “busker” or street musician. He wakes up everyday and goes out to the streets of London to play his guitar and sing. He makes just enough money to get him by. When he realizes Bob is here to stay and wants a friend, James allows him into his life.
Together, they go out to the streets of London and do their busking. Because of Bob, James has someone to look after and to provide for. Early on, he takes Bob into the vet to take care of an infection on his leg and the total cost is nearly all the money James has to his name. But he still pays the bill.
Throughout it all, James deals with overcoming his drug habits and trying to find a purpose to his life again between his busking job and eventually selling The Big Issue magazine.
This story is so sweet, at times, because of the affection James has for Bob and him for James. I love how devoted they are to each other! In the end James says, “From the moment I befriended him-has proven to be such a positive, life changing force in my life.”
Now, the pair are a YouTube sensation! Such a touching story about how a man became better off with a feline friend.
Pick this book up today, even if you aren’t a cat lover. You’ll still love the storyline of Bob and James’ journey!
