A Street Cat Named Bob: How one man and his cat found hope on the streets (Bob, 1)

This is an excellent book! Amazing so touchy! This is a true life story for the 21st century. Bob is so cute, lovingly, softly and adorable, a true every best friend. Cats do really helps in every way of your life, when you are ill and sad, a cat is very good, gentle, helpful animal. They are very clever, very independent, calm and they sense if there is something wrong. They help us through thick and thin and if you are stress and depress they come and guide you, they relax you and keep you calm. Having cats you don't feel alone and lonely, they listen to you, they are there when you need them most. They help you in many ways not only physically, socially, emotionally and mentally. If you are so much in stress and depress and have a high blood pressure, just stroke a cat and will helps you to remove the tension and makes you calm down. As well as if you are worried and down just stroke or talk to the cat or just watch the cat playing or sleeping, they are so calm and peaceful companionship.This book is for real and an excellent book for every one, people who hates cat should read this. It is an amazing story for day to day life. Bob and James are meant together, I hope they will stay together forever. A cat is for life. It is so cruel where we live at this moment, some people are heartless and rude, people should help and give them a chance. This book is so real, some people are like that not only in the streets, also at work, near your home, everywhere. I hope that James and Bob cat will live happily every after and they will have enough food everyday, nice warm home. I hope Bob will be famous and I hope James will get a break for his music talent. I would love to know more after what happens. So hopefully James Bowen can write more about what happens after that, if they are still busking or selling big issues magazines or if James found a contract for his music and for Bob if he is now insured.I can't wait to see the future film about True story of Bob the street cat with James Bowen. This is a MUST TO READ BOOK! It is so fascinating and interesting what is happening around you.EXCELLENT BOOK - LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT - Can't wait for the next future book or movie! Good luck both of you! I'll pray for your future, happiness, health, love, well-being and prosperity. I really hope everything will go well. This book is FOR KEEPS! SO GOOD and EASY TO READ - SO AMAZING! I REALLY WISH THEM BOTH THE BEST! I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYBODY - IT IS A MUST HAVE! You can see what is happening near you! It is so real and true! EXXXXXXXXCELLLLLLLENT FIVE STAR BOOK - A 100% UTTERLY - TOUCHY - REAL - FABULOUS LOVABLE BOOK! Well done James Bowen for writing this great book, wish you all the best. I will read it again!

I wasn't sure if I would like this story, as it centres on a cat and a man who have both had a rough time in life. I was very wrong. Once I started reading, I couldn't wait to read more. The book is written in a way that makes it very easy to read, I felt that I began to know James and Bob the cat very well, and really felt sympathy for their struggles.James tells the story in such a way that the reader is left wanting to know more with each page turn. We get to know so much of James and his past troubles with drugs and homeless-ness that we can understand how low he had been in his life. Complex issues are explained so well and honestly; I had to smile when he acknowledged just what a pain he had become to others at his low points.Being a cat lover, I was very drawn to the story of James and Bob. I was touched by his tender care of the ginger stray that needed help from someone. James wasn't really in a position financially to help him, but he couldn't see him suffer either. Once better, Bob wouldn't leave James, and the friendship that would change their lives began. A cat will not stay with a person that it does not like; they are very fussy creatures who choose their owner well. A cat will adopt you, not the other way around, just as Bob did to James. Equally, few like to be put on a harness and walked around (only one of our three like it); Bob demonstrated remarkable trust and faith in James whilst walking around London, firstly on a shoe lace then a harness. I had another chuckle at the idea of Bob sitting on James's shoulders- exactly what our ginger tabby does! They have intelligence in abundance to know when they are safe and well cared for.James explores other issues, making the reader only too painfully aware of their struggle for survival. Busking to earn enough money to survive on, he encounters no end of prejudice from passers-by and even the police, showing the discrimination that certain members of our society have to endure. I must confess to avoiding the "Big Issue" sellers on the streets of our town, feeling a mixture of fear and, if I am totally honest, repulsion for what I saw as street beggars. Reading James's story I now understand that these people are working for their living, not just sponging on the street corner, and I feel a bit guilty that I have never stopped before. The book has definitely opened my eyes to the problems that are faced by so many.I doubt whether it would have had as much interest if the book had solely focused on James, but as it is it makes a wonderful story of friendship and trust, and all true! I would very much like to see a second one with an update on James and Bob; it would be great to find out how they have got on. Hopefully the proceeds of the book will allow them a much more comfortable life now.Read it, you would have to have a heart of stone not to be touched by the story.

A Street Cat Named Bob is the uplifting and inspirational story about James, a man who is vulnerably housed and a recovering drug addict who discovers a rather remarkable cat.The ginger tom, which James names Bob, is in a sorry state when he finds him. Bob has bald patches, is thin and has an infected abscess on his back leg.As James nurses Bob back to health (with a little help) they develop a close relationship, becoming dependent upon one another. Readers will fall in love with Bob and James in equal measure.James assumes that once Bob is well, he will leave. But Bob doesn’t. In fact he does quite the opposite.James is working the streets of London. First busking and later selling The Big Issue magazines. Bob starts following him to work in the mornings, crossing busy roads and jumping on buses. So James ends up buying him a lead. But Bob often prefers to travel on James’ shoulder.Bob is smart, inquisitive and a good judge of people. Many people take a liking to Bob and that helps to humanise James to them. James also learns to trust other people because of Bob. But the streets of London can be tough at times and not everyone acts out of kindness or compassion. In A Street Cat Named Bob Bowen tells the story of the tribulations and triumphs Bob and he face on the streets.Astute readers will be left with some concern for Bowen when they finish reading A Street Cat Named Bob. Bowen values his friendship with Bob greatly. It comes across as the only significant relationship Bowen has. But the average indoor cat only lives for around 15 years (human years). So how is Bowen going to respond to the eventual death of his close friend? And will he be at risk of relapsing on to drugs or alcohol to manage his feelings of grief? I sincerely hope not.A Street Cat Named Bob is a easy and enjoyable read, made so by Bowen’s warm and friendly tone. It’s a relatively short book at just 279 pages. It will leave readers feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside. It is a must read for any animal lovers or anyone into sociology.A Street Cat Named Bob is available to buy on Amazon and at all good bookshops. A Street Cat Named Bob has also been made into a film and is out on DVD now, available to buy on Amazon and at other good retailers.

Does this lovely book need any more recommendations than the universal praise already heaped upon it by the truckload? What more can I add to what's already been said by, seemingly, the entire world that won't just be endless repetition?Bob, the dear creature, was rescued from an uncertain future on the streets by James Bowen, a recovering heroin addict whose own future was itself far from rosy. In return, Bob bonded and allied himself to James as if heaven sent to ensure that he never let James slip back into his destructive habits. Neither of them can ever have suspected how their alliance was going to pan out into such an astonishing success story for the pair of them, guaranteeing a more comfortable existence (I would imagine) than James could ever have hoped for in his wildest dreams - and a regular supply of good, clean food and water and scarves for Bob! The love and respect that has arisen between them is palpable.But it goes further, as their reputation has grown into helping to raise funds for the Blue Cross, which can only be a very good thing. I am myself deeply indebted to the Blue Cross for their tireless efforts to keep my own cats in the best of health through decades of unemployment (now on pension credit), as a result of a greedy and insensitive property company who wrecked my home and my life in order to try and remove me and my cats from the house they wanted to empty, do a cheap renovation job on it, and sell it off for a fat profit.But for the cats, and one in particular named Tina, who I'm sure Bob would have adored, I may not have survived the hard times; they gave my ruined life direction, purpose and meaning where there was otherwise none.Tina departed this dimension in September 1997, after almost 18 years of the same kind of bond that exists between James and Bob, and I was inconsolably heartbroken. Since then, I've had several more cats, none of which has been as close to me as Tina, although a lovely tortoiseshell street cat which I named Missi became very much a doppelganger of Tina in many respects. Sadly, she also passed away in January 2010.Times have since then become harder and darker for various reasons which I won't go into, and although I still accept without reservation my responsibilities for the 3 that I have now, I can't claim that they are any more than ordinary moggies with no great affection for me, despite all my efforts to engage their deeper empathies.Now here's the point, and the reason why A Street Cat Named Bob has meant so much to me: increasing depression after the death of Missi has led to increasing alcohol intake. When you're getting through 5 bottles of a 21% spirit and a further 5 or 6 bottles of wine every week, you know something has gone badly wrong, and that things are getting bad, and getting worse. I'd promised myself that, having been aware of the book for some time, I would eventually pick up a copy. Most books I've bought for the last 10-15 years have been left unfinished after a couple of chapters due to my inability to concentrate. But this one arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, I opened it and devoured the first 2 chapters in a heartbeat, and over the next few days I kept sitting down to continue reading - I just had to know how both Bob and James had fared under almost impossible conditions and in hopeless circumstances - and by the Sunday morning, I'd finished the book. Less than 4 days for me to read an entire book! That's not happened for me since... I don't know when.Bob, you fabulous little emissary from beyond our known plane of existence, your story - yours and James's - has now saved my life, too. I would undoubtedly have drunk myself to death sooner or later - but when I read of how you helped to bring James through his difficult recovery from the most destructive drug on this planet, and how James had been able to achieve a miracle with your assistance, not only simply in recovering, but in forging a great new life for both of you, I realised that your magic had also worked through those pages and those words on me, too. When I came to the end of the book, I suddenly saw things differently, and I realised that if James could do it, so could I. And since that moment, I've not let a drop of alcohol past my lips or through my door. I also sent a copy of the book each to a couple of friends (not that they needed saving from drugs or alcohol - I just wanted them to experience the powerful story, too).And just to fully concur with the comment by another reviewer that you don't 'own' a cat - yes, that's long been my viewpoint, too. I like to think of myself as their guardian above all else, with an instinctive sense that cats can, if protected and given love, respond with far more than they are given, in ways that the uninitiated can never quite comprehend.Thank you, Bob and James, thank you SO VERY MUCH for sharing your incredibly inspirational story with the rest of us. I wonder how many more lives you don't even know you've saved? May your rejuvenating light never grow dim.

Wonderful story of a cat and his new owner, and their relationship, both homeless at points in life and proving that some cats have more character and charm than others. A good insight to the struggles of those who find themselves without a home. Also holding on to a home and having enough money to survive is no easy task.

Before I purchased this book I wrongly assumed that James lived on the street and had no choice than to take Bob everywhere with him. However, it became evident very early in book that James did in fact live in a flat. Although James and Bob are obviously devoted to each other I cannot but question James motives in taking Bob everywhere with him in all weathers. I do not believe cats are happy on buses, tubes and busy streets of London. I am sure Bob would have been happier at home in the warm especially during autumn and winter months. I am a cat lover/owner for some 50 years and have had indoor cats, some outdoor cats and ferals living with me at different times. But..... NONE of them ever enjoyed going out in the cold and wet weather. James tells us time and time again about his love for Bob - but if he truly cared about him I dont think we would be reading this book!! James says he had only two bad experiences with Bob, when he run off, but I believe it would have been far more times than this. In the early days he either carried him about or kept him on a shoelace - how safe was that? I feel that James exploited Bob and the reason he took him busking and selling the Big Issue was because he knew he could make far more money with him than on his own. I cannot blame other buskers and Big Issue sellers for resenting this. He also tells us he was living from hand to mouth most of the time with Bob, yet when his mother paid for his air ticket to visit her in Australia, he had to quickly find £500.00 himself to enter the country - he managed to save the £500.00 in just three weeks selling the Big Issue!! I have awarded 3 stars for this book for Bob - who I think is a beautiful, intelligent and friendly cat. Sorry but I still have doubts about the author.

This is a quick and easy read, as the book is written in a simple, almost chatty style. Yes, some bits are repetitive, but that doesn't detract from the heart-warming qualities of this true story. Right from the start, you marvel at the way James and Bob, his adorable cat, found each other - and suited each other so perfectly! Whatever sort of life Bob has lived in the past, he seems well equipped to go out busking with James most days and to soak up the adulation. This is also a true morality tale, showing the value of kindness. By befriending Bob, James finds the means of his own redemption. James doesn't flinch from telling us how he became homeless and a drug addict, but he shows great courage in overcoming his addiction, having found a purpose in life as Bob's "carer". The book is very revealing about life on the streets, the conflicts that sometimes emerge among the different users of street space, e.g. Big Issue sellers, charity collectors, "chuggers". I never knew before how the "Big Issue" network was organised. There is also a very moving - and informative - description of going "cold turkey" . Overall, the book leaves you feeling uplifted by the perseverance and loyalty shown by James and his cat,and it gives you a greater understanding of homeless people. Highly recommended - and not just to cat lovers.

First, the book is almost impossible to put down once you begin. Second, the story is our story--of our need for love and connections--not just BE loved, but TO love.The two negative reviews which faulted the writing or relegated the book to "cat lovers", made me cringe. One of the comments on a YouTube video (yes, I looked up Bob and James this morning on YouTube) also made me cringe--a commenter said "get that cat off the bus, I'm severely allergic." Really? Really? So, here's what I say to those who don't feel like reading further. Read the book. Get the real message. Look into the eyes of those among us who struggle to survive in our fast-paced world. Don't ignore them. Even if you don't contribute a few coins to them, contribute to the agencies that really help in a meaningful way.P.S. I live in the USA and didn't know about Bob and James; however, I used to live in London (many years ago) and so now, buy a lot of books/videos from Amazon UK. I also like cats! A couple of weeks ago, the suggestion from Amazon popped up about this book, and on a whim, I bought it. It came yesterday (Jan 3 2013) and I opened it to for a "minute" and ended up reading the entire thing by 1 a.m.One of the reviewers here said what is so patently obvious to those of us who have pets--love is the strongest motivating force there is, even when it comes in fur. Agencies who help the homeless or people in dire straits, need to be more pet-friendly. Why not? It may actually (and probably does) HELP in rehabilitation or at least ease anxieties that lead to all sorts of anti-social behavior which leads to... I don't think I need to finish this sentence, do I? Here in the US (where the book has not been published yet), many people refuse to leave their homes to go into shelters when there is severe danger from natural disasters or even a domestic one (fires, etc.,) because there is no place for the pets. Come on.We really need to change and recognize the importance of the unconditional love that pets give to their owners regardless whether the owner is in a palace or a pitched tent in a park. This book has changed my life in this way: I will (today) volunteer to help with money and time. Those who helped James and Bob (and he thanked them at the end of the book)--should have all our gratitude.

Bob e James sempre me emocionam. Uma história cativante e sensível, para apaixonados por animais e gatos em especial. Desde o filme sou apaixonada pela dupla, principalmente por Bob. O livro é ótimo, se vc gostou do filme acredito que vai amar o livro apesar do início que ele demora a aceitar Bob em sua vida, essa parte me deixou triste. Porém, o amor vence e eu amo histórias de superação e amor.

I read the book in a day. I just loved it! The story is very moving and you cannot avoid to be touched by it. I have 3 cats and I know how loving, sensitive, intelligent and special cats are. This young man was given a great gift: a second chance in life. Not everybody gets it, and Bob was an angel in disguise.

I basically loved this book and read it in one sitting. The movie is good, but the book is deeper and even better.A wonderful and very human story of a good guy who finally found his best friend and his second change in life in a cat.

I first happened to see a status in FB about an upcoming movie entitled "A Street Cat Named Bob," in my veterinary doctor's wall. Me being a fortunate owner of more than dozen cats, was eager to know more about James and his much celebrated feline friend Bob. Hence, I placed an order of this book and I wasn't disappointed.The story of James and Bob, from how they met to how their lives transformed towards positive direction was really heart melting. It wasn't like all fell in place, but the responsibility and perseverance to be there through think and thin was inspiring. The narration made this book even more interesting read.A truly remarkable story of hope and love !!P.S: All my cats loved Bob & James. Attached is a pic, where one of my kittens Julie feeling jolly reading about Bob and his human friend !!!

Leest snel, goed geschreven en bijzonder verhaal over een kat en zijn mens.