Casper the Commuting Cat.

[DogMom]

MEET Casper, the commuting cat who's fast becoming a celebrity on Plymouth buses.

Regular users of First's number 3 service may recognise the fluffy feline, who has been driving his owner up the wall with his constant trips to the city centre.

The adventurous cat politely queues behind other passengers at the bus stop outside his Barne Barton home, then quietly trots on board and curls up on a seat for the ride.

But far from causing mischief he has proved a hit with drivers and customers alike, who always make sure he returns home safely.

His owner Susan Finden has only just found out about his antics – but First Group have been bussing Casper around for months.

Now the company is even hatching plans to decorate the side of a Ugobus with a giant photograph of Casper, such is his popularity on the route.

Susan, who picked him out of a rescue home in 2002, said he had always been a free spirit; she named him Casper after the cartoon ghost when he immediately started giving her and husband Christopher the runaround with regular 'disappearing acts'.

The 55-year-old care worker said: "He'd always go off and have a wander. Once I had to walk a mile and a half with a cat basket to bring him back from a car park.

"He does love people, and I don't know what the attraction is but he loves big vehicles like lorries and buses.

Susan found out about Casper's regular 11-mile round trips when he followed her to the bus stop one morning, avoiding passing vehicles by a whisker.

"The driver told me he gets on all the time," she said. "I couldn't believe it.
"He queues up in line with people and just sits patiently in the queue good as gold – it'll be 'Person, person, person, cat, person, person.'

"When the drivers do their turnaround they'll all check the bus and if he's on there they make sure he stays on for the return trip. Then local people will take him off when he gets to the right stop.

"I'm really appreciative to all the drivers for making sure he gets home safely; I'd hate to lose him."

First's Karen Baxter said the firm had put a notice up in the drivers' rest room asking them to look after the rogue passenger if they spotted him sneaking on.

Ms Baxter said the company had no plans to charge him for his trips.

"In cat years he's an OAP so he'd get a free bus pass anyway," she said, "and I'm not sure we'd feel comfortable selling a cat a Rover ticket."
Driver Rob Stonehouse added: "He usually just curls up at the back of the bus. Sometimes he nips between people's legs but he never causes any trouble."

Casper would not tell The Herald the reason for his trips.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news...l/article.html

COOL! I wish I had this in my community. Check out the original article. They have a nice slideshow of Casper.

[Unamused Cat]

Awww......

[carolinablue]

what a sweetie

[ImmortalOne]

hehe this sounds so funny, I remember the day I found out my old cat (He's 13) has been taking a ride in a new corvette, I was amused heavily. The owner said that he would come out to his car and my cat would climb out from the wheel well.

[smallwonder4]

I briefly knew a casper. He was a white stray tom who just showed up one day. After looking for his owner for a couple weeks I neutered and vaccinated him and tried to make him a house cat. I couldn't keep him inside for anything. He'd come for meals and sleep, but leave and sometimes be gone for over a week. He'd come home fatter and cleaner than before he left, though, so I knew he had other carers. I had to move to a city, but the people who bought my house asked for his vet records and wanted to take over his vaccines. If he would have come to the city, maybe he would have been like this Casper! Here, I was afraid he'd escape and be killed in traffic!

[DogMom]

I am really sorry to post this everyone. Very, very sad.

Casper the commuting cat killed by hit-and-run driver as he crossed the road to catch his daily lift

A cat which became famous for catching the same bus every day for four years has been run over and killed - while crossing the road to catch its daily lift.

Crafty Casper died in a hit and run accident as he tried to board the No3 service.

Devastated owner Susan Finden, 65, said whoever ran over her cat failed to stop and help him. She said: 'Many people knew Casper, who loved everyone.

Sadly a motorist hit him and did not stop.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...d-hit-run.html

[moonlilly1981]

:( poor casper

[lundwall1]

I knew it I knew it-I just ahd a bad feeling about this, I am sooooo sorry to hear his and hate the images it conjured up for me when I first saw this story on the news months ago when he was alive and happy. I just want to cry!!!!!!!!!!! While it was cute the cat taking the bus and all-I would of had to put a stop to it for fear of something just like this. I know people who let their dogs.cats run around unsupervised/w/out a leash etc and then are shocked and devastated when they get hit by a car???? Poor poor Casper-I only hope it was quick. RIP

[crickett]

He was Soooooooo beautiful! He looked exactly like our "Sylvester" who passed away a few years ago. He was the most loving, trusting ragdoll kitty.
Sweet little angel.

[Pene784]

Very sad end but this kitty brought a lot of joy to a lot of people.
I have a dog, a boston terrier named Penelope that loves to escape and go the pharmacy up the street. She likes the pharmacy because they have automatic doors and she knows that if she stands o the mat they will open. She just calmly browses the aisles and visits until I get a call to go pick her up. She passes a Zaxby's and a gas station and crosses and VERY busy road to do this. I try my best to never let her escape, but darn, she is good. She can scale our fence in seconds and she refuses to do her business on a leash. I have had the dog since I was a teen and I am in my 30's and I have been terrified that she would meet a bad end the whole time. I think some animals are ramblers and they will not be stopped. I found Penelope at a gas station in FL and after she started rambling when I took her home I have always wondered if she was just visiting that gas station.