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

I had a few friends call me up and we all joked about my celebrity cat. They asked whether I’d be getting him a minder when he made his trips to ensure that he always got the seat he wanted and wasn’t hassled by his public. It felt lovely to have such warmth directed at my cat, and later that day I thought that I would look at the article on the Internet just to see his little face there too. I logged onto the Plymouth Herald’s website and was absolutely amazed when, as I scrolled to the bottom of the screen, I saw all the comments that people had left. Edd later told me that most stories get about ten messages on the board from readers, but Casper had more than a dozen times that already.

Dee from Crawley said, ‘I loved the Casper story. Thank you for putting a smile on my face and in my heart.’

Another local lady commented; This is so cute ... I am allergic to cats and dogs but wouldn’t mind Casper sitting near me even if I did spend the rest of the day sneezing!’

One person was quick to see that, while it may have been odd, it was still a story that showed the good hearts of so many: ‘This article has put the biggest smile on my face! What a lovely story, and good on the bus company for keeping the little guy safe! He can happily have a seat next to me any day! Big smiles Plymouth, it’s nice to see we still have a big furry heart!’

In addition to the sheer number of messages, I was amazed by how many were from outside Plymouth. I’d thought this story would be a local one, but the way that people can access news from anywhere in the world these days had put paid to that.

One lady, Marjanna from Toronto in Canada, said, ‘I love this story, made my day! Go Casper, go!’

Sheila from Los Angeles joined in to comment, ‘I love this story – a very cool cat. Animals are the best!’

Maybe these people were ex-pats who always checked the local paper and that explained why there were so many comments from abroad, or maybe we really were part of a global community now. It got stranger the further I read down the page. There were people commenting from all over the globe, as well as so many locals who said that they knew Casper, that he had frequently been on the bus with them and that sometimes he had even sat on their laps. One lady made a video that looked like Casper was singing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ and put it on You Tube, where it received over ten thousand hits.

This little cat of mine had a whole other life. Now that he was quickly becoming a celebrity, I hoped that I would find out even more about his adventures. If people knew that they hadn’t imagined seeing a cat on the bus beside them as they went to work or into town, perhaps they would let me know how far he went, what he got up to or anything else that would help me complete the jigsaw.

Some people – although very few – made negative comments, usually about the health and hygiene issues of allowing a cat on public transport. That made me cross. Were they perfect? Did they think that all the people who got on a bus were shining examples of cleanliness? However, before I could get too annoyed, I noticed that others were making these arguments for me, and plenty of readers were sticking up for Casper’s right to travel.

Life is short stop moaning and groaning. All God’s creatures are precious and this is a lovely story about a cat who just wants some excitement, attention and a dry day out of the rain. Thanks, Casper, for putting a smile on millions of readers’ faces if only for a second before they turn the page and read what the moanies and groanies thrive on.

JJ of Devon

Another local commented: ‘I can’t believe you people moaning about a cat catching a bus. Is that all your sad lives revolve around? I can’t believe people are moaning about having to pay 50p for their dog – come on, are you that tight? Keep it up, Casper, enjoy yourself!’

The friendly comments were lovely, but there was also something really heart-warming about these complete strangers taking Casper’s side. People were saying how happy they felt to read a story like this, because it was a welcome break from what usually hits the headlines. When I spoke to Edd at a later date, he said that this was what he had felt from the outset too. It had been a normal day at work for him, and he needed something to balance the crime and horrible recession tales, so the notion of a cat who rode the bus seemed quirky. How was he to know what would happen next?