A 48-year-old healthcare worker adopted a male domestic cat that drew international attention in 2009. But why is Casper the cat so popular?
Casper would often leave his home in 2006. His owner found out, in 2009 that he was a frequent bus rider. The bus drivers told her that Casper would politely queue with other passengers at the bus stop and find his favorite seat
What is the Story Of Casper the Cat?
A 48-year-old healthcare worker adopted a male domestic cat that drew international attention in 2009. But why is Casper the cat so popular?
Casper would often leave his home in 2006. His owner found out, in 2009 that he was a frequent bus rider. The bus drivers told her that Casper would politely queue with other passengers at the bus stop and find his favorite seat.
Casper the Cat
Susan Finden adopted Casper from an animal rescue center in Weymouth, Dorset in 2002. He had been at the center for about ten months. The owners nicknamed him Morse after Inspector Morse, a TV show they were watching when he arrived.
But after a few days with him in her Weymouth home, Finden renamed him Casper, after Casper the Friendly Ghost, because he kept disappearing on her.
Finden quickly discovered that Casper was a highly independent and determined cat, and he frequently strayed off. She also saw that he knew his way around large vehicles and was not afraid of people or traffic at all.
It wasn’t long before she heard rumors that he was going into surrounding office buildings, doctor’s offices, and pharmacies. She tried to keep Casper confined inside, fearing for his safety while crossing roadways, but he always found a way to escape.
Finden moved to Plymouth, Devon, in 2006, and when she arrived to work each day, she had no idea what Casper had been up to while she was gone. It wasn’t until early 2009 that she realized that her pet was using the bus.
The bus drivers told Finden that Casper would stand in line with other passengers at the bus stop across the street from her house and that when a bus that he favored arrived, he would board and take his favorite seat.
He would stay on the bus for the whole 11-mile round trip to the city center and back. The drivers would then let him out at the bus stop directly across from his house, guaranteeing that he did not get off at any other point.
When Finden learned of Casper’s bus adventures, she contacted First Devon & Cornwall, which warned their drivers to keep an eye out for him. She was moved by how the drivers and passengers went out of their way to accommodate Casper and his unique behavior,
She expressed her gratitude in a letter to The Plymouth Herald. In April 2009, The Herald published an article about Casper due to her letter. British news organizations picked up the Herald report, and Casper’s story swiftly went national and then international. (Source: This is Plymouth )
Casper’s Untimely Passing
Sadly, Casper was hit by a taxi on January 14, 2010, and the driver did not stop to assist him. Before Finden could get him to a vet, he succumbed to his injuries. The news of the unfortunate event immediately traveled fast. Some newspapers called it a hit-and-run.
Finden later contacted the taxi company but could not pursue charges since British traffic laws do not require vehicles to stop after hitting a cat, although the rules are different for dogs.
She had Casper cremated at a local crematorium but did not keep his ashes as she had never kept the ashes of any of her other cats. Passengers and Plymouth drivers who knew Casper paid tribute to him, and Finden posted a notice at his bus stop:
Many local people knew Casper, who loved everyone. He also enjoyed the bus journeys. Sadly a motorist hit him and did not stop. Casper died from his injuries. He will be greatly missed. He was a much-loved pet who had so much character. Thank you to all those who befriended him.
(Source: The Guardian )