Street Cat Named Bob - The real heart warming tale of two best friends

Topping the Sunday Times and the New York Times bestseller lists 'A Street Cat Named Bob' is the heart-warming and unique tale of a man and a cat who saved each other. James Bowen was born in 1979 and following his parents divorce he moved with his mother to Australia. They ended up moving a lot and James became a self-confessed 'tearaway kid'. He was bullied at school, dropped out and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Manic Depression and ADHD. So he moved back to the UK to live with his sister and her husband. But problems quickly arose and he left to live on the streets. Over the next several years he would sleep either on the streets or in shelters and he turned to heroin to cope with his situation.

In the Spring of 2007 James was living in supported housing in London and on a Methadone programme to try and overcome his heroin addiction. On his way home one evening he noticed a ginger cat sat in his buildings hallway, assuming it belonged to another resident he ignored it. But several days later the ginger cat was still there. James decided to check the cat but he found no collar or ID tags but there was an infected cut on the cats leg. After asking his fellow resident's he couldn't find the cat's owner so he took it to the local RSPCA clinic. The clinic prescribed a two-week antibiotic treatment so James took in the cat so he could make sure he received the full treatment.

Once the treatment was over James released the ginger cat hoping he would find his own way home but instead he began to follow James around, even catching the bus with him. James decided the cat must have no where else to go so decided to take him in and call him Bob after a character from Twin Peaks. Bob would come with him to Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden, now on the harness James bought to keep him safe. They attracted huge attention and after appearing in YouTube videos became famous. James began selling the Big Issue which increased the attention they received and tourists would come specifically to see James and his cat Bob.

James also decided to end his Methadone treatment saying that "I believe it came down to this little man. He came and asked me for help, and he needed me more than I needed to abuse my own body. He is what I wake up for every day now... he’s definitely given me the right direction to live my life”

A literary agent then came across the story of James and Bob and after introducing James to a writer the bestselling book 'A Street Cat Named Bob' was born and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Since the books release James and Bob also had a film of their life together made – in which Bob gained the starring role of himself – and James also released a single in aid of the big Issue Foundation.