A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen

James Bowen was a street musician, recently moved into sheltered housing after being homeless, when he met a stray ginger tom cat who he called Bob.

This is the story of how James takes Bob in and looks after him and how in turn Bob helps James in his desire to sort out his life.

James takes Bob along when he plays his guitar near the underground stations and notices that he earns more money when Bob's around! People just love the ginger cat and he becomes a very popular figure in the areas of London where the two of them travel.

This book offers telling insights into James' difficult life as a street musician, how he is harrassed and disrespected as well as incidents when strangers offer kindnesses to him (and more frequently to Bob). It is also a wonderful tale about the bond between a man and his cat and offers several insights into cat behaviour too. (Did you know that cat saliva contains a natural deoderant and that cats lick themselves partly to disguise their scent to make it harder for predators to find them?).

A wonderful, moving book.

A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen published by Hodder.