Bob (cat)

Not to be confused with Evil Bob.

Bob
Released								9 August 2004 (Update)
Members								Yes
Race								Cat
Quest								A Tail of Two Cats, Dragon Slayer II
Location								Asgarnia, spawns at Burthorpe
League region								Asgarnia✓
Gender								Male
Examine								The Jagex cat. During Dragon Slayer II: Formerly Robert the Strong, now a cat.
Map
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Advanced data
NPC ID								2635,2636,4231,8034,8055,8111,8112,8113,8114,8115,8159

Bob the Jagex cat is an enigmatic black cat and reincarnation of the ancient hero Robert the Strong. He travels the world of Gielinor with his girlfriend, Neite, although he generally returns to his human Unferth's house every week. Like all cats, his speech can only be understood through the use of the catspeak amulet.

As Bob likes to wander the world, he has one of the largest wander radius of all NPCs in the game, spawning outside his human Unferth's house in Burthorpe every time there is a system update, after which he is allowed to roam up to 30,000 tiles in any direction. As Bob is essentially able to wander anywhere that is not restricted by physical boundaries, players can run into him at places as far away as Edgeville, Port Sarim, the Wise Old Man's house, or even Lumbridge's church. It is possible to locate Bob by using the catspeak amulet after it is enchanted in A Tail of Two Cats which, when operated, will open a menu that looks like a cat's face. By clicking on the whiskers, the dial will rotate. When the eyes light up and a cat meowing sound is heard, Bob can be found in the direction that the dial is pointing.

Bob can be venerated in the Chapel of a player-owned house if a Bob icon is built with 71 Construction.

History

As the reincarnation of the hero Robert the Strong, Robert's memories as a human were locked away. Bob's earliest memories were of being a kitten, and being raised by Gertrude. Eventually, he came into the care of Unferth, though Bob often wandered around the world for days, worrying his owner endlessly.

During A Tail of Two Cats, Unferth asks an adventurer to help him find Bob, as he had not come back for longer than expected, worrying him greatly. The adventurer, with their cat and Hild, were able to locate Bob. When found, Bob tells the adventurer that he is trying to get the attention of another cat named Neite, who is uninterested in him because she does not know about his past. Bob is later convinced that he is Robert the Strong, but he is unsure because he has no memories. The adventurer and their cat head to Sophanem to get the Sphinx's help, who reveals that Bob is actually Robert the Strong. Neite, who the Sphinx also teleported to Sophanem, falls in love with Bob and the two go on a journey across Gielinor. Bob gives the adventurer some chores for Unferth to do.

Later on in Dragon Slayer II, the adventurer finds Bob to see if he can recall his memories as Robert the Strong during his expedition to Lithkren in the Fourth Age. Bob doesn't remember anything, and the Sphinx is unable to help. However, the adventurer soon remembers the Oneiromancer, who gives them the dream vial. The adventurer makes the potion again, and they enter Bob's Dream World. After beating a dream guardian of his human form, Bob then remembers everything as Robert the Strong and helps the player in finding the dragon key pieces that were hidden all over the world.

Bob told the adventurer that he had personally hidden two of the key pieces; one in an abandoned Dragonkin fortress north of Rellekka, and another on the southern shores of Karamja. He also entrusted two of the key pieces to his fellow heroes Camorra and Tristan. Camorra went to the far west, while Bob assumed that Tristan's family was still in Varrock. He warned them that he did not feel comfortable with opening the Vault, and that they should do so at their own risk.

After the player reforges the key, they enter the Vault and find a dragon incubating in a large pool. Zorgoth, a Dragonkin, approached the trio, and Bob immediately recognised him. Zorgoth also recognised Bob as a result, and remarked on how he turned into a cat. The two argued over who was right and wrong, before Zorgoth called for Galvek. Bob narrowly avoided being incinerated by Galvek, as the adventurer grabbed him and ran. He later attended a meeting with the human leaders, and told the adventurer that the war wouldn't be over until Zorgoth was dealt with. He noted that if Galvek was killed, Zorgoth would lose his army, as Galvek was his only way of controlling the other dragons. While incapable of fighting, Bob insisted on coming along with the assault force, due to his knowledge about the dragonkin.

When the adventurer eventually arrived at the fleet's grand ship, Bob informed them of the situation. After disposing of the dragons on the ship, Zorgoth and Galvek arrived. Galvek killed four Varrockian guards, before focusing its attention on the adventurer and launching dragonfire at them. Bob, who was right next to the adventurer, jumps in front of them, sacrificing himself to save their life. Bob's death greatly enraged the adventurer, and they eventually managed to kill Galvek, who accidentally incinerated Zorgoth with his last breath. What was left of Bob was later buried in a grave across from Unferth's house. Both Unferth and Neite were distraught over his death.

Upon arriving at the afterlife, Bob met and got along with Hogst. Hogst told the adventurer that Bob missed them and that they shouldn't have guilt for his death, stating that it was necessary. When the adventurer asks why, Hogst states that he does not know.

Dialogue

This article on an NPC has an associated dialogue page. Click here for a transcript of possible conversations with this NPC.

Changes

Date	Changes
[[{{#explode:2 May 2006| |0}} {{#explode:2 May 2006| |1}}]] [[{{#explode:2 May 2006| |2}}]] (update)	Bob's appearance during the cutscene in A Tail of Two Cats was altered.
[[{{#explode:26 September 2005| |0}} {{#explode:26 September 2005| |1}}]] [[{{#explode:26 September 2005| |2}}]] (update)	The NPC now always appears above players standing in the same tile.
[[{{#explode:26 April 2005| |0}} {{#explode:26 April 2005| |1}}]] [[{{#explode:26 April 2005| |2}}]] (update)	A 'Talk-to' option was added.
[[{{#explode:24 August 2004| |0}} {{#explode:24 August 2004| |1}}]] [[{{#explode:24 August 2004| |2}}]] (update)	The NPC was renamed from 'Cat' to 'Bob'.

Gallery (historical)

26 September 2005 – 2 May 2006	2 May 2006 – present

Trivia

• On release, Bob only had the name 'Cat'. He was renamed to Bob shortly afterwards in response to player suggestions.
• The dialogue between Bob and the player's cat follower is clearly a reference to the movie Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, where similar dialogue occurs near the end of the movie.
• 'Bob' is often a nickname given to those bearing the name Robert, which fits due to Bob's past as Robert the Strong.
• Originally Bob's death was caused by a Galvek fireball that the player dodges. In 2023 this was changed to Bob jumping in front of the dragonfire aimed at the player.
• Bob is referenced by Hogst, his friend in the afterlife, in the 2020 Halloween event if the player has completed Dragon Slayer II and wears a ghostspeak amulet. The player expresses guilt and misses Bob, but Hogst tells the player not to feel bad about it and recounts a conversation he had with Bob, who cryptically told Hogst his death was 'necessary' and 'had to be that way'.
• Bob is referenced by the Gnome Child in the 20th Anniversary Event. If Dragon Slayer II is completed, when speaking with the store owner of Bob's Brilliant Axes in Lumbridge, the Gnome Child will insist that they believe that 'Bob is Bob', while the player has the option to insist that Bob is dead and is not coming back.