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

There were no more words to say to Casper. I kissed him and sent him all my love and then I left him I didn’t turn back; I didn’t run to his side a hundred times. He was gone. He wasn’t Cassie any more, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Chris had been away since just after Christmas, but was due home that night. I called him, in floods of tears, to let him know what had happened, and felt that I had to hold on until he got back. I spent the rest of the morning crying, and that was how it should be. Carrying on as if nothing had happened, going about life as if it wasn’t the darkest of days – how could I have pretended?

A picture of what had happened to Casper kept emerging through the tears. The lady with the toddler told me that the bang was so loud she’d heard it clearly and turned around in fear. The driver must have heard it too; he must have felt it. Why didn’t he stop? He must have known that he’d hit something. Didn’t he care? What if he thought nothing had happened and he continued to drive like that? What if next time it was a child?

Despite my grief, I could not, in all conscience, allow this to go unchallenged. I rang the police and told them what had happened. They informed me that there is no legal requirement for a driver to stop if they hit a cat, whereas with a dog they must do so. This seemed terribly unfair to me, but I expressed my concern that the driver was unsafe and that he could cause injury or worse if allowed to go unchecked. The policewoman was sympathetic but said there was nothing that could be done – dangerous driving required two witnesses and it would have to be those witnesses who made the complaint.

I lay down, my head full of the injustice of it all, my heart heavy with loss. I felt so alone. Then, as if someone had sent me a message, I realized that I was not alone. People cared. People loved Casper. They needed to know that he was gone, and I had a duty to tell them. My first call was to Edd at the Plymouth Herald. The words were so difficult to say, but the fact that he was shocked, sympathetic and emotional about it too made me realize this was the right decision. Casper had spent so long in the public eye that those who had rejoiced in his adventures had a right to know what had happened. I realized at that moment that Casper didn’t just belong to me, he belonged to everyone.

Edd’s immediate response was to tell me that he would put something in the paper as soon as possible to inform readers. I knew there was also someone else I had to contact immediately – Rob. By this time of day, the bus drivers on the number three would be starting to look for Casper, wondering whether he’d be in the bus shelter yet or taking their route that day. It made me terribly sad to think that they, too, were ignorant of what had happened and that they would never see him again.

With a shaking hand and a lump in my throat, I rang Rob. ‘Hi Sue,’ he said, cheery as always, ‘what can I do for you today?’ The story poured out of me, as I asked him to tell Karen and the others. I could tell that he was in shock too, but he was practical and said he would let everyone know He urged me to take care of myself.

I settled back onto the sofa, without a clue as to what I should do next. I’d called the people who had been most involved in Casper’s public world. As I lay there, I knew that they would be telling others, while I faced the reality of life without him on my own.

The house was empty of Casper but today he wasn’t wandering, he wasn’t waiting on the bus, he wasn’t sitting under the hedge, watching dogs. He was gone and there was nothing I could do to bring him back. Every time I felt my mind wander, I tried to stop it. There was no benefit in thinking about how he’d looked when I picked him up from under the car, or lain him on the sofa, or saw him at the door, or left him with the vet. That was in the past and I would only hurt more if I dwelt on it.

As I sat there, alone and lost, I had no idea that the news of Casper’s death had had an immediate impact. Rob had put up a notice in the bus depot. It echoed those from earlier times, but today it contained a much sadder message.

CASPER THE CAT HAS DIED

I HAVE THIS MORNING BEEN MADE AWARE OF

THE SAD NEWS THAT CASPER THE CAT HAS

DIED. A CAR HIT HIM AND, UNFORTUNATELY,

BY THE TIME HIS OWNER GOT TO HIM

HIS INJURIES WERE NOT SURVIVABLE. HIS

OWNER, SUE, HAS ASKED ME TO PASS ON HER

HEARTFELT THANKS TO ALL OF THOSE WHO

LOOKED AFTER HIM WHEN ON THE BUS AND

EVERYONE WHO HAS ASKED AFTER HIM.

MANY THANKS – ROB