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James Bowen, the author of the best-selling memoir A Street Cat Named Bob, has said he will be “homeless” by tomorrow (Wednesday 9 August) after spiralling mortgage rates forced him to sell his home.
Bowen’s story about how a stray ginger cat named Bob saved him from a life of heroin addiction was turned into a movie in 2016.
He now claims he can no longer afford to own the £500k property he bought as a result of his success.
However, despite having sold the house, the former busker said he could not afford to rent temporary accommodation because the money from the house sale will not be paid to him until he has cleared it out and left.
He told the Daily Mail: “I have had to sell my house, as the mortgage rates shot through the roof and I can’t afford to own this home anymore.”
Bowen, 44, explained: “Problem is, I won’t get paid till after I have left the house empty and cleared. I don’t even have the money for rent for a temporary place ‘til I can find a new home, which means that myself, my four cats and Chewbie [his Shih Tzu dog] will be homeless on the 9th as we wait for some money, after paying off the mortgage, to become available to us.”
The author has appealed for financial help online, the publication reported, and vowed to return the money to anyone who can help.
“I can’t move my stuff into storage and I can’t move my personal belongings to even a friend’s house with nothing, I need to pay for at least a removal company to clear my home and enough for temporary storage,” he said.
“I swear on Bob’s immortal soul, your good deed will be rewarded and repaid as soon as I am able to do so.”
The Independent has contacted Bowen for comment.
Bowen was a recovering addict when he first found Bob in 2007 and took him in. The pair became a well-known sight around Covent Garden, where Bowen busked and sold The Big Issue.
Bob, whom Bowen described as his “soulmate”, died in 2020 at the age of 15 after he was knocked down by a speeding car.
Bowen said at the time: “Bob saved my life. It’s as simple as that. He gave me so much more than companionship. With him at my side, I found direction and purpose that I’d been missing.
“The success we achieved together through our books and films was miraculous. He’s met thousands of people, touched millions of lives. There’s never been a cat like him. And never will again. I feel like the light has gone out in my life. I will never forget him.”
At the premiere of the film A Street Cat Named Bob, Bowen and Bob met the Princess of Wales, while she still held the title of the Duchess of Cambridge. She attended the premiere as the royal patron of Action on Addiction.
A sequel was released in 2020, titled A Gift from Bob, based on Bowen’s book of the same name about his and Bob’s final Christmas on the streets together. Bob appeared in both films, alongside actor James Treadaway, who played Bowen.
However, since Bob’s death, Bowen said he has felt “suicidal” and began using heroin again. He told The Sun earlier this year: “When Bob passed away, he was the love of my life… I felt I wanted it to end. I started looking for an escape again and I started using heroin once more.”
His relapse cost him his engagement to his Polish fiancée, Monika Hertes, he said. Bowen added that he decided to quit the drug at the end of 2022 and has been clean since the New Year.
