James says his cat Bandit has got some of Street Cat Bob’s spirit as he loves to go on adventures.
Everybody loves Bandit. From the day that I got the little boy, I’ve always known that he’s a bit of an adventurer. He definitely has a bit of the spirit of Bobby.
I remember the first time I took him out when I was going to meet some colleagues about a livestream event for Thames Reach who were inviting me to be a keynote speaker at their charity fundraising event. Bandit joined us in the conference room and just chilled, enjoying being part of the room. Everybody there adored him. He was only teeny tiny then but that’s when I realised he was something special.
James took Bob with him everywhere.
So, when I had a chance, I fitted him and his little brother — well, I should say twin brother, Gizmo — with harnesses like I used to have for Bob. Their reactions were like night and day, as one kitty was more than up for it, unlike the other one. An analogy would be Bandit was like a duck to water and Gizmo was like well, I don’t know…a slug to sand or something like that! So, I had to give up on Gizmo wearing a harness after watching the chaos that happened watching him flying around the house, running away with his leash trailing as he went everywhere knocking things over and smashing into walls and doors, which was nothing new for Gizmo because he is a bit of a terrorist!
This is actually kinda funny because of the names of them. Bandit, his name is well you know ‘bandit’ but Gizmo, one would think he’s named after the Mogwai from ‘Gremlins.’ Gizmo is like that cat you see in the little meme video where the cat pushes glasses off the counter and the woman says “No” but it looks her in the eye and pushes another one straight off and then the clip says ‘thug life’ with sunglasses being worn by the cat — that’s Gizmo.
Meeting Bob
Anyway, Bandit took to the leash incredibly well. He started wanting to go out more and more, and I decided to try putting him in the bike basket and taking him to the park. I was so impressed with his balance and fearlessness in the whole adventure. He absolutely loved it after the initial shock and curiosity — but no fear, just general confidence and bundles of cuteness. I could see he would often check in with me with just a cute glance that said: ‘Dad, are you sure about this?’ And that was all he needed from me, a gentle reassuring rub on his head. He was the most adventurous boy and would enjoy this excursion every night. Occasionally, he would even go to sleep in the basket of the bicycle which just showed to us a clear indication that he was enjoying his adventures. On the other hand, Gizmo was getting very jealous and so was Chewbacca — more on this little character in another issue.
Bandit and Gizmo.
I was now feeling happy that he was confident enough for me to take him on the underground to visit his late brother and Saint Angel Bob’s statue in the Angel Islington. Once again, it was not a problem. The loud Northern Line train did not pose any bother to him.
Just a bit of an interesting footnote on his adventures, he had great fun on Islington Green, sniffing out Bob’s statue and was happy to say hello to passers-by as we sat in the the grass enjoying the sun. It was a lovely day and one we are sure to repeat again soon.
In the next issue, I will tell you about how Bob grew back a part of his body that had been surgically removed — this is for real people! It will amaze you how special Bob was and what he was capable of!
One last thing, we are holding a vigil for Bob on 14 June so come along and check out our Facebook page for further details.
To find out more…
James and Street Cat Bob have featured in books and movies that have sold millions of copies internationally. To learn more about their story, visit streetcatbob.com or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/OfficialJames BowenandStreetcatBob