People that know me know
that I hate cats. I believe they are responsible for the deaths of billions of
vulnerable species in areas they don’t belong. Much of this feeling comes from
my upbringing in Australia where the lovely moggie has been responsible for the
demise of whole species and, like many introduced species, have slowly been
destroying the natural flora and fauna of my birth country. Growing up in
country Australia we were encouraged to swerve in our vehicles and take out
cats, foxes and rabbits whilst being prepared to stop traffic for a native
species attempting to cross a road. There are parts of Australia that are
attempting to make themselves cat free and it is a goal I heartily support.
People that truly know me
know that I do not hate any animal and in reality blame the humans around the
creature for allowing them to roam freely to cause destruction. I tend to tell
people in my neighbourhood that cats without bells are fair game to be killed.
They look at me as if I am joking so I remain serious until they are a little
bit terrified of my threats. Humans have
a great responsibility when they choose to take a pet on as part of their
family and it is something I firmly believe in. There are no bad animals only
stupid or ignorant humans. The pleasure of taking on the responsibility of a
pet is unconditional love in return when you act as positively and loving as a
human can. This book is about those bonds.
My friend Dana gave me A
Street Cat named Bob by James Bowen a couple of months ago. Dana is a voracious
reader like me but often gives away books when she has finished them. +Daniel and I do not give away books and have a massive collection that is too big to
display in our house. We dream of having money to achieve only two goals. A
block of land to grow our own food and a room big enough to convert into a
dream library. A Street Cat named Bob
was one of the few books Dana pushed into my hand telling me she wanted this
one back. Dana loves cats and having read the book I understand that is not the
only reason she wants it returned. This is a book Dana will read again and one
day encourage her sons to read. It is that sort of tale.
James Bowen grew up between
Australia and the UK and as a young man fell into a spiral of drug dependency
and ended up living on the streets of London. He was going through the
laborious task of two steps forward and one step back trying to rebuild his
life when he found Bob. Or maybe Bob found him. Both were in need of love and
care and not only were able to provide each other with the help they needed but
managed to enrich and improve each others lives despite the odds. After a shaky
start, Bob began to follow James to work as a busker in Covent Garden. Eventually
the two travelled together on public transport and maintained a daily routine
of busking until the authorities collared James for bending the rules.
What is unusual about Bob is
his attentiveness to James and willingness to hang out with him all day. In
fact he acts more like a dog and many people accuse the author of drugging the
cat to make it stay all day by his side. Suffice to say James’ capacity to earn
money increased sharply with a cat by his side as the unusual couple caught the
eye of London’s notoriously ‘busy’ commuters and tourists alike. James soon
realised that it is Bob that the people love and they shower gifts on the cat
including scarfs and tops that the feline friend appears to like wearing. A
most unusual cat.
It is a gentle story and
gently told. A ghost writer was involved and the simple and often prosaic text
shows evidence of a hack for hire. This does not detract from the story and in
fact makes James’ tale more real. His life on the street is not pretty but is
also fairly general as far as such things go. It is the relationship that
develops between these two lost souls that is most remarkable. It is a story
that reminds us that we cannot truly make it alone and responsibility and
companionship are key to human survival and success.
James eventually gets a real
job selling the Big Issue magazine and his tale explores this world of street
vendors. It is probably eye opening for some but reminded me of the tales I
used to hear when I was a psychiatric nurse. The book is a reminder of how
little is truly done to help the vulnerable in our society and this is one man
lucky enough to have found a way out of his personal dilemma. Many of the
characters in his story will still be on the streets struggling with their
day-to-day needs.
Bob and James have become
quite well known around London. Reading the book reminded me that I saw them in
action a few years ago outside the Covent Garden tube station. A guitar playing
troubadour and his cat is hard to forget. Indeed they have been interviewed on
the TV morning shows and it is worth a google to watch a cat sitting so
patiently amidst the bustle of a television studio. They give each other high fives and are a
family in their own right.
The book has sold very well
and there is talk of a movie so one can only hope that this fame leads James
onto bigger and better things. With Bob by his side they should do well
together. A worthwhile read that will
not win any literary awards but will tug at your heartstrings and leave you
with a smile.
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