A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life

I loved this true story of about how a man helped a cat and the cat helped a man. If you like stories that celebrate the strengths in human nature and the strength in animal bonds, read this. Very enjoyable read!

A Street Cat Named Bob by new author James Bowen is the most heart-warming book I've read since Vickie Myron's Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World. Bowen's story of his misadventures, mistakes, culminating with his falling through the cracks of modern society and ultimately his rescue by new-found friend Bob is the epitome of the modern fairy tale. Instead of the knight in shining armor saving the day, salvation comes from the most humble and unexpected place. Bob is a Frodo for animal lovers everywhere. Without giving away the entire book, James is a man who grew up in England and in Australia. He had a rough childhood because of moving so much and this created in him many difficulties in socializing normally. This drove him ultimately away from family and into drugs and, as is often the case in these situations, the streets. Along the way he made a few attempts to save himself but never could. That is until a cat named Bob showed up on his doorstep. This new friendship proved to be the spark that got him back on his feet ultimately. The anecdotes that Bowen gives make me reminisce about my own cats through the years as well the general adventures that all pet owners experience when they have a good relationship with their quadruped friends. This journey not only documents a beautiful and epitomizing modern-day fairy tale come-true but also strays in a political direction. I felt it shows how social programs that provide a hand-up are better than those that just give a hand-out. That is my thought, not necessarily the author's. All around, this was one very heartwarming adventure. I strongly recommend this book and give a five star rating. The Kindle edition which I read seemed almost entirely typo-free with but one exception that I noticed. The book reads fast and should appeal to all cat lovers, most pet lovers and anyone who is a fan of the triumph of friendship and the human err... feline spirit. If you buy no other book this month, buy this one!

This is obviously James true life story. I'm glad Bob was able to help him out of the darkness. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you for sharing your story, James.

Enchanting book! Interesting read, especially for humans owned by their cats. Such a wonderful, affirming relationship between this man and his furry companion.

FUN an interesting to read! very fun -good reading

great reading

This is a really encouraging and heart warming story of a remarkable young man and a remarkable cat who find each other. Both had been a throw aways in British society. It does reflect the better system of support in England, compared to the US, to get help, both for man and cat. Their partnership creates better life together. Their love for one another shines out. It encourages me with my own lost family members.

Given the glowing reviews, I somehow expected more. Having always been an animal lover, particularly drawn to cats, I was really looking forward to this one. I understood that it was not going to be spectacular literary prose and its strength and weakness lay in the style of narrative from a broken, uneducated drug addict cleaning up his act. When I went through a divorce 12 years ago, my 2 cats provided comfort beyond what I imagined possible. I did not need human company, just the steadfast, unjudgemental companionship of cats. James Bowen takes us through his dilemma of taking on the responsibility of caring for another creature when he is barely able to take care of, or provide for himself, extremely convincingly. The disappontment comes in that the book is repetetive and somewhat drawn out at times and feels like it was written by a 5th grader, even though there is the adult element of him being a homeless, recovering addict. As a so-called IT expert, he must have been aware that he would have made it onto the internet, or YouTube! At the very least, he knew that the Bob/James team was famous. By its very brevity, I got the feeling that he was going to try to turn this into a series from the outset. Hence, I don't think I will bother with the rest of the series. Keeping up to date with James and Bob's short stories would be too costly for what it offers. Not that I don't wish them continued success. That said, I would truly have loved a character like Bob to have entered my life!

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.

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

Llegó en perfecto estado, todo bien con la entrega. Lo encontré en oferta nuevo y me está encantando. Ya había visto hace años la película y decidí comprar el libro para leer un poco más al respecto.

Love love love this book

It is a quick read about Bob the cat, who seems to be the hero of the story....but there is more to it than that.... I sit with homeless people, make friends with them and get their stories. Some of the more fun ones I share with my ten year old son, who now also sees them as people. He has met William the affable drunk near the bridge, and he loves the stories about Matt who claims to find diamonds on the street. However, even to him they are still strange, and perhaps less human, and he probably still prefers if we would just ignore them. Being invisible is the complaint/comment I hear most from the homeless, and so it was with James Bowen... until he found Bob, who then made him visible to the rest of the world. I shared this story with my son, and Bob's magic even helped draw my son's attention to James' story. Somehow the cat made James more human, more approachable, even likable.... even though he is just a sidekick in Bob's spotlight. (It is Bob's face on the cover) Besides giving James visibility, taking care of Bob seemed to be the leverage James needed to finally get off drugs, and off course there is a happy ending... but this is a true honest account how a life got derailed. James is honest about telling about his downward spiral, how he did awful things to keep his heroin habit going, and how he just did not care about anyone. It was a simple, entertaining, but also very insightful look into the life of a former homeless person.