Bob the cat likes to give high fives and looks great in scarves. Think of him of Morris without the attitude. Already the hero of a book, he’s about to have a film made based on his life story. The film will be called A Street Cat Named Bob. Production begins in London at the end of October, according to Screen Daily.
It will dramatize the incredible true story of James Bowen, a London busker whose life was transformed when he met a little orange tabby with a big personality. Bowen’s heartwarming memoir recounts his journey from homelessness and heroin addiction to a new life. The book became an instant hit, selling more than four million copies in three years. “It’s about how I found this little man here and how he changed my life after I nursed him back to health,” Bowen says in a video.
Bowen was living in public housing in London when he found Bob in the hallway outside his flat. Bob had an infected wound that required antibiotics and trips to the vet, which his new friend provided. Bob became Bowen’s faithful sidekick. When Bowen got on the bus to ride to the street corner where he played for tips, Bob hopped up on the seat next to him. “And that was the day that changed our lives,” Bowen says.
Bowen bought Bob a harness and taught him how to give high-fives to commuters and tourists. People began snapping photos and taking videos that they posted online, and Bob became a celebrity. A book agent took notice. It wasn’t long before the memoir, A Street Cat Named Bob, was published in 2012. The book has been translated into more than 35 languages and Bowen’s life has been transformed. “It’s absolutely blown my mind,” he said in an interview with a London paper, The Big Issue, that he used to sell for 50 cents on the corner. Today the two are most often seen with Bob perched on Bowen’s shoulder. “He’s a companion, and he really does think he’s one of the boys. He’s a very special little man.”
