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

He was a lovely cat just like my Robert, one I had years ago. When I used to see him, I’d always sit down beside him. After a while I started stroking him and he never seemed to mind. I would have loved to have sat there all day with him and I used to just think through all the little things that were bothering me. When I had Robert, I used to tell him all my worries but I couldn’t say these things out loud to this fellow, as people would have thought I was mad. So, I just went through everything in my mind as I was petting him, and he was such a good cat. I’d have loved to have taken him home with me, but I’m far too old for a pet, so it was just nice to see him every so often. He was such a comfort to people, even if they just saw him now and again.

A couple from Nottingham wrote:

We were devastated to hear the very sad news about Casper – he must have been a wonderful cat. What we would have given to have known him. The first we ever heard about him was when we were in Cornwall on holiday in October 2009. We have managed to obtain a beautiful photo of him on the bus, waiting for the doors to open. God bless and take care.

All of these people were loving my cat and caring for him, when I had no idea. A lady from Truro said:

I was heartbroken to read the awful news that your darling cat, Casper, had been run over I just adore animals, especially cats, and remember so well reading the lovely story about him taking trips on the local buses where you live and what a wonderful character he was. It is a terrible heartbreak to lose them. Your little Casper has become as famous as Dewey! As all us animal lovers know, losing an animal is every bit as heartbreaking as losing a person or a child. The first time I had a little cat run over and killed, I was just devastated. You have to hang onto the fact that they had a kind, happy home and lots of love in their little life, which a lot of animals don’t often get. It’s been lovely to get to know you, albeit for a very sad reason – nowadays it’s all the more heart-warming to get to know kind people in the world.

She was absolutely right – it was heart-warming, and it meant even more because I think we’ve all been conditioned to believe that we’re all alone in the world, that ‘softness’ is a bad quality and that no one else feels the same way. It’s just not true; there are legions of good people out there. Casper proved that.

Debra from Western Australia wrote: