Photo: Courtesy of St. Martin's Press.They say that a dog is man's best friend, but for James Bowen, it's a street cat named Bob. The Guardian reported on the homeless man-turned-author who befriended an ill cat (that would be Bob) while he was out on the streets. But, the feline wasn't just a companion to keep Bowen company. Rather, the furry friend rescued his owner from a life of drugs, which tells us that you can never underestimate the power of animals.
The dynamic duo became quite an attraction on the London streets where Bowen sold copies of the Big Issue, a paper supporting homelessness. But, when a literary agent read a story Bowen wrote on how Bob helped him overcome his addictions to heroin and methadone, his life completely changed.
The agent sold his tale to Hodder & Stoughton, and within two years, A Street Cat Named Bob, The World According to Bob, and No Ordinary Cat have had chart-topping sales in the U.K., U.S., and several of the other 30 countries where the books are sold. "It's incredible," said Bowen to The Guardian. "When I first saw Bob on this doorstep, I never thought this is where I'd be today." Thankfully, the pair now live in a rented flat, where Bowen is currently working on a series of books for children. So, next time you see a stray animal on the street, you might want to consider taking him/her in. Who knows where it could lead? (The Guardian)