An Inspiring Story of Unconditional Love in Life

Did you know that the book ‘A street cat named Bob’ was based on a real story? And that Bob and James really saved each other through their unconditional love in life?

A Story of Redemption through Unconditional Love

Most of us are familiar with Bob. He was a cute ginger cat who looks like Garfield except that he didn’t give out lazy vibes like Garfield did. He is the fictional hero of numerous books and movies and real life hero of James Bowen. The heart throb of millions of fans worldwide, Bob was extremely popular.

Cats are furry, cute creatures I admit, but I genuinely feel cats are under appreciated compared to dogs. When talking about a man’s best friend, the picture of a dog comes first closely followed by the picture of a cat. But in this story a cat does the impossible. It inspires a broken musician.Against all odds, a homeless man and a stray cat became friends and well-wishers for life. This is a very touching journey of two lost souls offering support to each other through turbulent times. It is a story of redemption through unconditional love.

Who was James Bowen?

James Bowen was a musician who had troubles right from his childhood. His parents’ early divorce coupled with not having a stable home or family support , translated into bigger troubles for him in the future. He could not get along with his family or friends and was a school dropout. After various struggles in life, there came a point where James decided to control his own life by not relying on anyone. With nothing to fall back on, he was pushed to the streets in no time. Being homeless was extremely tough on James and brought with it a deep sense of insecurity. To divert himself from his worries, he took to drugs, a habit that pushed him still deeper to the ground.

An addict with no aim

The habit of using drugs is a dangerous one. As far as addiction to drugs went, when the drug wore off, all James could think of was about getting the next fix.  This was his lowest moment in life. In addition to being homeless he was a drug addict too. He made a living by busking and also selling a magazine called ‘The Big Issue’ which worked with homeless people to generate income for them. At that time James lived in a supported housing programme at Tottenham, London. He usually performed in and around Piccadilly circus which was one of the busiest junctions of London. Neither his life was steady nor his pay everyday.

How James and Bob met

One day in 2007 while returning from work, he found a stray ginger cat loitering near his house. The cat was thin, dirty and had scratches on its face in addition to walking with a limp due to its wounded leg. After spotting the cat continuously for some days, it became clear to James that the cat did not belong to any of the nearby houses. It did not have a collar anyway and so James decided to care for it.

The first thing he did was to take it to a vet for treating the infected wound. He struggled to even pay for the treatment yet he could not give up. Maybe James saw some version of himself in that cat and decided to help him.This is what an unconditional love always does. It only gives but has no expectations in return. After nearly two weeks, the cat became a lot better. Thinking the cat could now find its way back to its actual owners if any, James left for work that day. But to his surprise, the cat kept following him around. This time James decided to permanently take in the cat and even named him Bob, inspired by a TV series.

Bob came to live with James

Now that the cat started living with him, he had no choice other than to take it to work with him. They took the bus together with Bob occupying the window seat most of the time.

A musician with a cat was an odd sight whether on the bus or on the streets. And it immediately attracted a lot of people. Most of the time, James would play his music when Bob casually sat on James’ shoulder. In due course, James was offered more money for busking and his sale of Big Issue too rose steadily, all because of the presence of Bob.

It was around this same time that James decided to get rid of his addiction once and for all. For him, the cat needed him more than what he needed for himself. He decided to take care of himself better and Bob became his savior and companion for life. After repeated serious efforts, James let go of his drug habit permanently.

Rise in popularity

Meanwhile their popularity steadily rose locally. People started greeting them, recognizing them and recording them. Small videos featuring the two were quietly making rounds on the YouTube. The pair attracted the attention of the ‘Islington Tribune’ because of their popularity, which first published an article about them in 2010. This was read by Mary Pachnos, the UK literary agent for ‘Marley and Me’ who introduced James to writer Garry Jenkins.

Together they created the book ‘A street cat name Bob : And how he saved my life’. The book had such a great response that it went on to become a best seller in UK and US and topped various bestseller lists. It was translated into 30 languages resonating as far as Bulgaria and Thailand. In the UK alone it sold 700,000 copies. There was no looking back for Bob from then on.

A movie of the same name was released in 2016 and went on to become a smash hit and Bob and James walked the red carpet together for their movie premiere.More spin-offs were planned. The popular pictures of Bob showed a ginger cat with a stylish scarf around his neck with his own trademark style.

Book events

Several more books followed after their first outing :

• The world according to Bob
• A gift from Bob
• The little book of Bob

The book events were nothing like the pair imagined. People came as far as Japan and Europe to catch a glimpse at the ginger star at least once and surprisingly Bob seemed to enjoy the limelight too. He was used to crowds, loved the attention and could even pose for photographs in his stylish scarf.

The end

Like all good things, this one too had to end. Recently Bob left James to his own cat heaven. Bob was a pure soul and a giver of unconditional love. Some souls come into our life when we least expect it and transform our lives in ways unimaginable. They change us for good and that too permanently. Bob was one such soul.

A true story of unconditional love

Their story is one of a kind, unbelievable journey. They were actually two lost souls trying to survive a harsh world. With Bob by his side, James felt he had someone to live for. That gave him hope and a new purpose. That gave him the courage to change the way he was living and to take a new direction. Most cats are loners. But Bob was a true companion for James all through their time together. He never left James.

They continue to inspire

In James’ own words, Bob was a very clever cat who radiated calmness and wisdom. He could do all sorts of tricks like opening a door, using the loo and greeting with hi-fives. Many cat owners who read Bob’s books also tried to teach their cats similar tricks.

In the early days when James found Bob, James actually had a lot of commercial possibilities through Bob. There were many keen buyers interested in Bob in fact. But James was never interested in selling Bob. To him Bob was now his anchor and best mate, someone who showed how love could be unconditional – a chance a new life. Together their journey was nothing short of a miracle. Bob had met thousands of people and their journey has inspired millions of readers worldwide.

Their story is an example of what unconditional love can do for each other.

Bob wasn’t just a pet

Different pets take care of their owners in different small but meaningful ways. For Bob, a word like pet is too small to contain his big heart. He was a guardian angel for James. Two genuinely lost souls meeting in the most unexpected circumstances healed each other in the course of time. There might be a million cats but I doubt the world would genuinely come across another Bob. He deserved every bit of love and adulation he received.

Have you read the book or seen the movie yet?