ProtectaPet Catio Turns Street Cat Bob to Safe Cat Bob
StreetCat Bob, who was rescued from life as a stray Tom cat wandering the streets of London, is now able to enjoy exploring the outdoors in safety with the extension of a steel-framed custom built catio to his London home. Bob rose to fame after busking with his owner James Bowen. While James may have saved the ginger Tom from the dangers of life on the streets, the relationship was reciprocal and James attributes his own recovery from drug addiction to Bob.
James, who has authored several international bestsellers and provided the inspiration for the movie ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’, feared for Bob’s safety if he allowed him to free-roam around the streets due to traffic, dog attacks, and the fear of Bob being ‘cat-napped’. However, James was keen to give Bob outdoor access explaining that cats require fresh air, the stimulation of the birds singing and all the smells of the outdoors, as well as scratching his claws.
Looking for a solution, James rang ProtectaPet, the UK’s cat containment experts, who swiftly designed a fully enclosed cat run or ‘Catio’ (cat-patio) for Bob to use. The enclosure is steel-framed and galvanised for longevity, and powder-coated black for a sleek visual aesthetic. The high tensile poly-mesh is very fine, so Bob and James can enjoy the view while listening to music, reading a book, or playing the guitar. James explains that the Catio is a new outdoor room in their house.
Eve Davies, Communications Director at ProtectaPet says, “It was such an honour to build a cat enclosure for Bob – probably the most famous cat alive today. We put lots of thought into the design of the Catio as well as the stimulation it would offer. It features cat shelves, lots of ‘cat friendly’ plants such as hens and chickens fern and bamboo, and of course a sofa so James and Bob can snuggle up together as the nights draw in.”
ProtectaPet Catios are bespoke and made to design around the features of each house and garden. They start at £2,400 including professional installation. If you are technically minded, DIY cat fence barrier kits can be purchased to cat-proof your own garden, and cost in the region of £400 for the average-sized garden.
Simon and Eve Davies founded ProtectaPet in 2012 after losing their own cat Lola in a road traffic accident. Their products have recently been awarded International Cat Care’s ‘Cat Friendly’ award in recognition of a significant contribution to feline welfare. The company estimates that its fencing solutions are in use by more than 3,000 owners across the UK. Fencing can be ordered in DIY form from the company’s online shop or fitted as a bespoke installation by ProtectaPet installation engineers.
Aahh Bob is lovely. Great idea to keep your pet safe in a built up area. I know how I worry when one of my cats disappears for even a short time.
Thank you Sue. 🙂
I’ve read the book and got the film both James and Bob are lovely. ?such a moving story.
They are indeed! And they are super nice in person too. 🙂
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Were traveling in USA when we saw Cat Bob featured in a TV show .. both James and Bob are wonderfully matched from heaven. Lord Toby sends his Meow!
Can’t agree more! 🙂