Casper The Commuting Cat: The True Story Of The Cat Who Rode The Bus And Stole Our Hearts

There has been many an occasion when I’ve had bad news or felt rather down, and before I knew it, a cat would be beside me, purring contentedly as if to reassure me someone would always be there when needed. Cats recognize happiness too, and can always be relied upon to respond to a joyful atmosphere, as if their little paws would happily dance around in joy to mirror your own.

Over the years, my cats have given me so much. They all contributed something to my life, and they all had their own special traits and idiosyncrasies. Something about Casper was different, however. I’ve adored the feline family I’ve accumulated over the years, but something about that little chap touched me the moment I saw him, and it continues to affect me every single day. Maybe there is someone for everyone. We all hope to find another person whom we can love and share our life with, and perhaps that applies to pets too. So often there is simply a connection that can’t be explained; it’s one of the luckiest coincidences in the world. To find another creature we connect with is a precious thing. I’ve experienced that connection with all of my cats, but especially so with Casper.

There was nothing particularly momentous about the day I went to collect him My husband Chris has the patience of a saint and is used to me deciding on a whim to get another cat. To his great credit, he’s always supportive and gets the car ready for us to set off at the right time. The practical aspects are left to him, and I appreciate that hugely. I’m the one who makes the emotional, almost instantaneous, decision that another bundle of fur is coming to live with us.

I’ve had all ages and types of cats over the years, but as I’ve grown older myself, I’ve gone for ‘geriatrics’ – they’re much harder to home because most people tend to want cute kittens. Older cats often have health problems, but I love the idea of giving everyone a chance and making sure that the last days of some poor animals’ lives are filled with comfort and love. Maybe, as the years pass, I hope that someone will care for me that way too.

I’ve had many jobs working with the elderly and with adults who have learning difficulties. These people all have special needs and they have as much right to be treated with respect as anyone else. That has, no doubt, rubbed off on me and affected how I view the world. Not only do I want humans to have some dignity in their final years, but I also want that to extend to animals.

I am as soppy as anyone else when faced with a six-week-old kitten looking up at me with huge eyes, and my heartstrings are tugged in just the same way but I know that kitten will find a home so much more easily than a ten-year-old cat with arthritis, or one that has only a year or so to live because of terminal cancer. By taking in the older waifs and strays I hope to be able to right some of the wrongs that have been done to them over the years. In giving them love and care during their final days, I get a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction myself. It isn’t an unhappy option: there are plenty of laughs and cuddles, and I feel blessed by every single paw that trots through my door.

One day, in December 2002, I did my usual thing of telling Chris, ‘It’s time to get another cat.’ I haven’t always had such a supportive husband, and there is part of me that is in awe every time Chris goes along with my plans. Patiently, yet again, he agreed – and didn’t bat an eyelid when I said that, actually, I thought two would be a good idea. Indeed, for most people, two may very well have been an excellent notion, but for us perhaps it wasn’t the best proposal. Getting sibling cats or two who have known each other from a rescue centre means that they always have a playmate, there’s always someone to keep them company, but that wasn’t going to be a problem in our house, as we had six cats already.

At the time, we were living in a beautiful three-storey Victorian villa in Weymouth, Dorset. The house was huge, with lots of space, a secluded garden and a cellar – plenty of places for inquisitive kitties to hide and explore. We tend to move house quite frequently and I am always on the lookout for a home that is cat-friendly. This one ticked most of the boxes. The property was big enough for the cats to roam freely, and to go out or stay in according to their temperament. I never felt that the place was overflowing.