The Street Busker Whose Cat Became a Bestseller

James Bowen left home at 18 intending to become a rock star. His music career stalled and his life went downhill. South China Morning Post, in a profile of him, wrote that he slept on the streets of London and was addicted to heroin.

He had just moved into supported housing and begun methadone treatment when he found an injured cat outside his building. He treated its wounds and tried to send the animal away, but it refused to leave. He named the cat Bob. Bowen said that being responsible for something was how he managed to get clean.

Bob learned a few tricks and rode in Bowen's guitar case while he busked around London, and the pair became a local sensation. In 2010 a literary agent, Mary Pachnos, who had worked on Marley and Me, noticed them performing near her home. She gave Bowen an advance and hired a ghostwriter.

The resulting book, A Street Cat Named Bob, reached The New York Times bestseller list in 2013 and has been translated into 40 languages. A Hollywood film was in development when the article was written. Bowen estimated he had earned nearly £1 million from advances and royalties. He has written several more books, including a children's story about Bob rescuing a stray puppy, and was opening a Bob-themed cafe for charity.

He told the newspaper that Bob was healthy and should live another ten to fifteen years. Of his life now, Bowen said his motto is to do everything in style.