A Street Cat Named Bob – James Bowen

When James Bowen first comes across a ginger tom cat sat on his tenement stairs he just gives it a stroke and moves on. After a day or two it becomes clear it has no home and is in need of food and attention. James knows how it feels to be in that situation – he is off drugs but on methadone and trying to live on what he makes busking around central London.

This is not a lot but despite his meagre resources he takes in the cat, who he has named Bob, with a view to nursing it back to health and releasing it back to the streets. Bob has other ideas and sticks to James, even following him across London to sit in the guitar case as James plays, boosting takings in the process.

It is new to James to have responsibility for anything as his life since adolescence has been troubled, with each ‘second chance’ thrown away regardless of consequences. Now though, with Bob’s welfare to consider, he realises that he has to sort himself out.

It’s hard - there are hurdles and setbacks for James as he tries to come off methadone and get on to the legal side of the street; but through it all he has Bob’s unconditional affection and knowing looks to anchor him to the real world.

James Bowen is not an author, he is a musician, but his writing is simple, clear and genuine. As a cat ‘owner’ I found his descriptions of some of Bob’s more familiar antics spot-on, but Bob’s talents go much further than the average moggy.

The read is easy on the eye, but sheds discomforting light upon life on the streets today. In future buskers and Big Issue sellers may get a more sympathetic response from readers. But the strength of the book is simply in its remarkable story which is told well enough.