Book review: A street cat named Bob - James Bowen

After years of living rough in the streets of London, James Bowen was trying to find the way back up with the help of a support housing programme. He first saw Bob, a street cat in trouble, on the doorstep of his apartment building. Bob was quite sick and James decided to nurse him back into good health. They’ve been together since.

James was a busker. He started selling The Big Issue magazine, and was approached by literary agent Mary Pachnos, who had previously represented “Marley and me” in the UK. She encouraged James to write down the story of him and Bob. The result is the book “A street cat named Bob”. The book became an instant bestseller in England, with good reason. It is a great story.

Ok, when you look at the writing style, it isn’t literature, as was stated in comments on book forums. Also, the editing could have been a bit tighter; however, James is not a professional writer (he got help from a writer by the name of Garry Jenkins) but it is an absolute fact that the story is so nice that you forget about things like that anyway. You also want to hear the story in his words. What makes this book so great is that even though James had a hard time, he tells the story as it is but never dwells in self-pity. It is an uplifting story and we can do with something like it in this time of recession.

This is not a book just for cat lovers. It is a story of a human being who tries to get his life together again after years of living rough in the streets, abusing drugs. It is however also a story about an incredible cat who (I say “who” deliberately because a cat to me is a personality) shows that cats do bond with people. It also shows that cats have strong personalities and are intelligent. But cat lovers knew that already anyway. When you Google James Bowen or “a street cat named Bob”, you see a lot of links, also to YouTube. I will include one. The rest you can look up yourself.

I hope this book will get James Bowen the amount of cash he needs to get his life back on the rails again. There is talk about a Hollywood film, so it might even provide James and Bob with a sustainable income for the next few years. He deserves the break.

The book, that already has sold more than 250,000 copies, is available on paper and as an electronic book.  It has been translated into 18 languages, so you can probably find a copy in your own language if you’re not a native English speaker. Buy it. You won’t be sorry. Read it and re-read it when you feel a bit down. It will lift you right up again.

I’d love to read more about Bob and James. In July 2013 “The World According to Bob: The Further Adventures of One Man and His Street-wise Cat” will be on the shelves. I can’t wait.

Fat Cat

Last week I was back home in the Netherlands for a short week of mainly family visits.

I stayed with my niece and her family. They live on a nice, fairly quiet street, with a lot of cat owners. Every now and then I would meet one of these felines, walking from or back to their house. What struck me was the number of obese cats, not just in their street, but also in other streets. These are cats that are allowed to go out, so at least they’re not stuck inside all day. So how do these cats get so fat? Overeating? Wrong food? Or is it just a suburban cat thing? But that doesn’t seem right as I also saw normal, healthy looking cats. I would love to chat with their humans to find out. I’m just curious. I do know that some people have the notion that it is “gezellig” – a Dutch word that is hard to describe, but cosy comes close – to have a fat cat lying in the windowsill. Personally I think that a combination of wrong food (mostly dry food with a lot of fillers) and a constant supply of it could be the reason for these cats getting so fat. There’s no need for a constant supply of food. Feed at regular times a few times a day. If you can’t be there yourself, get a timed pet feeder. You can get them for up to 5 feeds. Weigh the food so they don’t get more than they need for their body weight (So you need to know the weight of your cat to start.)

Our two started looking for food in between mealtimes, but they’re outside a lot and it is getting colder. They’ve filled out but they are still lean, mean, killing machines. They are so active, always chasing flies, leaves, toys, each other and catching mice, rats and shrews. Somebody commented on the fact that we don’t let the two out at night. He said: “that’s the time they want to hunt”. He’s absolutely right but that’s the compromise in our house: inside at night. We don’t have a cat door and don’t want to leave the window open at night for them to go in and out and maybe bring prey back with them. Other cats could come in and go for their food as well. Then there are also foxes around and I don’t want them to get into a scrap with a fox. From about 6.30 am until 6 pm they normally can come and go as they please. They then go for naps and get some playtime in between as well. No constant supply of dry food. Dry food (grain free) is given as a snack every now and then and for the rest they get their regular meals of wet food. That and plenty of exercise will keep them in good shape.

I really feel for those obese cats. It’s not nice for them to have to carry all that weight around and it could cause all sorts of health problems in the long run. Cat owners: wake up. Don’t let your cats get fat. If you really care for your pets, you watch their weight. It can also save you a lot of money on vet bills.

 Picture through Google image search.

Thanks to the original uploader.

Homer's odyssey by Gwen Cooper.

It was sitting on my virtual bookshelf for a long time but I finally got around to read Homer’s odyssey by Gwen Cooper.

I’m not really a person for real life stories. I read the odd biography and some historical accounts, but most of the time I read fiction. Every now and then I make an exception and this time I’m glad I did.

Homer’s Odyssey is the story of how a blind cat named Homer ends up in the author’s household and how they get on after that. The author has already two cats and is trying to get her life together. Adopting a blind kitten while she already had enough on her plate didn’t seem like a smart decision.

With this book you actually get two stories in one.

It’s as much a book about the author as about her cats. Because you start to identify with the author, who is a likeable person in my opinion, it makes it easier to get stuck into the story. The book reads like fiction and is well written. It has a nice flow to it, which makes it a very pleasant read.

The author tells about her experiences with Homer, how her other cats react to this cat that doesn’t always behave like cats normally do and how other people react to Homer.

The book is very moving in places; it has funny moments and is written in a way that you almost feel you’re there with her and taking part in her life.

Homer’s odyssey shows that you shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover. When cats are blind, it doesn’t mean they can’t lead a full and happy life. When you look at Homer through human eyes you could say that Homer’s will to live and his courage are inspiring. At the same time the author realises that you can’t project like that and that Homer is just a normal cat doing normal cat stuff and doesn’t even realise that he is missing one of his senses.

Even so, Homer is an example to her and his determination helps her to change her life around. I don’t know if everything she writes is a true account of how things went but the book breathes sincerity. The author wants to share parts of her life and that of her extended feline family to give out a message of courage and hope.

Even when things are not always going the way you want them to go, keep your spirits up and, every now and then, be impulsive. Sometimes you just have to take a plunge without being able to see what lies ahead.

I really enjoyed reading Homer’s Odyssey and can recommend it to everyone with an interest in a good, uplifting story. You don’t have to be a cat person to enjoy this book.

Real cats who became an inspiration (books)

Cats touch our lives in many ways and sometimes have such an impact on a human’s live that the person writes a book about their incredible feline.

Here is a selection of cat books I found on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. I must admit that these are book I haven’t read myself yet, but some of them I certainly will read over time. Amazon might also have Kindle e-book versions. An internet shop that is cheap and good is: bookdepository.co.uk. They deliver for free. For epub e-books, try booksonboard.com. They do have Dewey and Homer's odyssee.
 Some books might be out of print or in the process of being reprinted. Oh, and I refer to cats as "who" instead of "that" deliberately, because to me they are feline persons.

A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets by James Bowen.

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (15 Mar 2012) ISBN-13: 978-1444737097

Big Ginger: The Life of a Remarkable Cat by Sylvia Murphy.

Publisher: S A Greenland (1 Nov 2009) ISBN-13: 978-0955051258

Buckley’s story by Ingrid King.

Publisher: iUniverse Publishing (September 28, 2009) ISBN-13: 978-1440166242

Casper the commuting cat by Susan Finden.

The True Story of the Cat Who Rode the Bus and Stole Our Hearts

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (9 Jun 2011). ISBN-13: 978-1849831758

Cleo: the cat who mended a family.

How a cat helped a family through difficult times.

Publisher: Citadel Press (August 31, 2010) ISBN-13: 978-0806533032

Dewey: The Small-town Library-cat Who Touched the World by Vicky Myron with Brett Witter.

Hodder Paperbacks; Reprint edition (1 Oct 2009) ISBN-13: 978-0340953952

The only thing I didn’t like about Dewey’s story is that they got him declawed. That’s one of the cruellest things you can do to a cat. It’s like cutting off the fingertips of a human. I will write a special blog about it. I already have a link up to pawproject.org.

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat, by Gwen Cooper.

Publisher: Bantam (6 Jan 2011) ISBN-13: 978-0553825152

Norton trilogy:

The Cat Who Went to Paris by Peter Gethers.

Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 6, 1992) ISBN-13: 978-0449907634

Before Peter Gethers met Norton, the publisher, screenwriter, and author was a confirmed cat-hater. Then everything changed. Peter opened his heart to the Scottish Fold kitten and their adventures to Paris, Fire Island, and in the subways of Manhattan took on the color of legend and mutual love. THE CAT WHO WENT TO PARIS proves that sometimes all it takes is paws and personality to change a life.

For the Love of Norton: The Cat who Taught his Human How to Live.

Publisher: Ebury Press (18 Mar 2010) 978-0091933319

The second book in a trilogy about Norton the cat.

The Cat Who'll Live Forever by Peter Gethers: The Final Adventures of Norton, the Perfect Cat, and His Imperfect Human

Publisher: Broadway (October 8, 2002) ISBN-13: 978-0767909037

The third and last book in this trilogy about Norton the cat.

Making the Rounds with Oscar: The Inspirational Story of a Doctor, His Patients and a Very Special Cat by Dr. David Dosa.

Publisher: Headline Review (3 Mar 2011) ISBN-13: 978-0755318131

The cat who came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory.

The heart-warming and often hilarious story of Polar Bear, an abandoned white cat - and the man he owned.

Publisher: Corgi (27 Oct 2011) ISBN-13: 978-0552164108

Rainbow Bridge: A True Story About Rescue Cats by Susan Cilyk

Susan writes about the rescue cats who shared her life.

Publisher: Athena Press (June 24, 2004) ISBN-13: 978-1844012701

Scarlett (who saved her kittens out of a burning building):

Scarlett saves her family by Jane Martin and J.C. Suarès

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 6, 1997) ISBN-13: 978-0684842882 (amazon.com)

This story is also available as a book for children:

The Bravest Cat! The True Story of Scarlett by Laura Driscoll.

Publisher: Demco Media (Oct 2004) ISBN-13: 978-0606326162

A Cat Named Squeeky by Vic Reskovic

Publisher: Crow Canyon Publishing (1 Sep 2007) ISBN-13: 978-0980023503

(A Cat Named Squeeky is a true story of a stray cat. Creative, humorous, informative, and emotionally moving, A Cat Named Squeeky celebrates animal companionship, and underscores the love and respect all animals deserve.)

Tyfoon's Tale: The True Story of a Seafaring Cat by Sylvia Murphy

Publisher: S A Greenland; First Edition edition (1 July 2009) ISBN-13: 978-0955051234

A snowflake in my hand by Samantha Mooney.

A book about cats in an animal hospital in the cancer ward.

Publisher: Delta; 3rd edition (April 1, 1989)

ISBN-13: 978-0385297219