Image by Sophia Evans
Today’s heartwarming animal news comes courtesy of James Bowen, a former homeless busker who wrote a best-selling book titled A Street Cat Named Bob, after an encounter with a stray cat that saved him from a life of drug addiction.
Back in 2007, Bowen found an injured cat curled up on some steps and nursed it back to health. It started following him everywhere while he busked and sold copies of the Big Issue, a paper that supports homelessness, and the duo quickly gained popularity among the denizens of London.
They catapulted to fame after catching the attention of a literary agent, who after reading Bowen’s story of how Bob helped him overcome his heroin and methadone addictions, sold it to publishing house Hodder & Stoughton.
Published in 2012, the title is a riff on the classic film A Streetcar Named Desire and the book, its sequel The World According to Bob and a children’s book Bob: No Ordinary Cat have sold over one million copies in the UK alone.
In an interview with The Guardian, Bowen reflected on how his life has changed since meeting the feline. “It’s incredible. When I first saw Bob on this doorstep, I never thought this is where I’d be today.”
The pair now live in a rented flat where Bowen is hard at work on a children’s book series, and you can read more about his amazing story at The Guardian.
Do you have any inspiring stories of animals helping people get back on their feet?
Image by St. Martin’s Press
[via Refinery29 and The Guardian]