Sometimes we rescue an animal, but often times they rescue us. In the case of James Bowen and the sickly street cat he took in, says Time, they rescued each other in the truest sense of the word. 

Bowen was a gentle, homeless busker suffering from a plethora of mental health problems, as well as a heroin addiction. In a series of baby steps that lead him to where he is today, Bowen had enrolled finally in a methadone clinic in his desire to kick the heroin habit. Now, with a roof over his head thanks to the clinic, says Little Things, Bowen was trying.

And there he met the orange tabby cat now known as Bob, sickly and pitiful in his hallway, according to the Guardian. When Bowen made that first step by bringing the cat inside, he had no idea the chain of events that would save man and cat. When Bowen was done nursing Bob back to health from a nasty infection, he placed the tabby back outside to find his way back to where he came from. But Bob had other plans. He knew his new friend needed him as much as the cat needed a home, so stay he did.

As the days moved to months, Bowen found strength and peace with his new best friend. That was 2007. Fast forward to 2012. Bowen and Bob became literary giants with the freshly penned "A Street Cat Named Bob." This heartwarming story tells the story of an unlikely hero, a ginger tabby who finds a man in need.

The best seller, and has had spinoffs that have kept this dynamic duo busy with appearances and events in which Bowen is extremely careful and in tune with Bob's needs, as Bob has always been with his. This pair was meant to find each other. Watch the video and see the bond for yourself. Man's best friend isn't always a dog, sometimes it's a sickly, homeless cat that appears out of nowhere.