Susan Finden - Casper the Commuting Cat - The True Story of the Cat Who Rode the Bus and Stole Our Hearts

Please take care – I hope the pain of losing Casper in such an awful way is easing a little, but as you said it never really goes away, I guess you just find a way of living with it.

Kind Regards – Bronwyn, Australia

All over the world and closer to home, people were being reminded of their losses over the years by Casper’s death. A lady called Margaret sent a beautiful card in which she said:

To lose a true friend is never easy – know that you’re in my thoughts. I was so sorry to read of the death of Casper What an amazing cat he was! In these days of nothing but bad news in the papers, it was so enjoyable to read about Casper and his daily bus journey. There will be many people who will be thinking of you at this time.

I believed her. There seemed to be such love sent to me in every mail delivery, including this one:

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:

My young daughter and I read the very sad news about your cat, Casper, this morning and I sent an email straight away to the Plymouth Herald . I was so touched by the story of Casper and I wanted to offer you my sincere sympathies and condolences. I also wish to pass on my sympathies to the bus drivers who came to know Casper over the years, who must be equally upset at the news. I understand you received Casper from a cattery? I have a cat as well – he is sixteen now and my family and I love him dearly. I rescued him just one day away from being impounded into a cat home. He’s been a mostly-faithful cat to me ever since! I say ‘mostly-faithful’ because, as you well know with Casper, my cat has an independent streak and has been wont to disappear for many hours at a time.

There were characters all over the world! Helen, a lady from the US, wrote:

I have cried for such a long time over the story of your Casper’s death – I thought this was terribly wrong of me for a while, and feel rather silly, but now realize just why he has touched me so much. My family moved over here from England when I was fourteen, and although I loved the sunshine and opportunities, England still felt like home. I loved going home for Christmas – which we tried to do every year, even when I was a teenager and had long since started college. We stayed with a variety of aunts and uncles all over the country, in farms and in towns, and they all had one thing in common. Cats. We had a dog back in America, and I loved him dearly, but there was something about cats that just said ‘home’ to me. I have many happy memories of curling up on Christmas Day with one of the family pets, wherever we were staying, and probably missed them more than my human relations! As soon as I was old enough to marry and have my own home, I got a kitten. My husband I have now been married for over twenty years and have three children, and both of us ex-pats have always made sure there’s a cat waiting to greet us when we get home. They’ve all had terribly English names over the years – we currently have Percy and Mabel – and I do wonder whether they are the only things keeping us here. If it wasn’t for the thought of them in quarantine, I would be pushing to come home, because there was something in Casper’s story that made me so homesick. Was it the buses, or the idea of people waiting in a queue with a little cat? I’m not sure, but when I read that he had died, I felt that part of my dream of home had died too. I hope that you are coping and I hope that your sad loss does not prevent you getting another cat. You are in my thoughts.

Casper had seemed like part of home to me too, and it was terribly empty, but the letters kept on coming. Many people offered such reassurances, despite being strangers with absolutely nothing to gain from offering such kindness. It has made me reconsider so many things, and I take that as a lesson from Casper. The experience with my son, Greg, and his gran had shown me that strange things can happen and I now feel that there is often something to be gained from even the darkest times.

That’s not to say that his death doesn’t still hurt. There are moments when I experience pain where I haven’t expected it. For example, I still look out at the dustbins thinking I’ll see him there. For the first few days after he died, there was a plastic carrier bag wedged under the hedge across the road. My mind played tricks on me in my grief, and I sometimes thought it was him. Acceptance is so hard.

If I heard Cassie’s disks jingling, it would be so wonderful. It would be just what I needed to convince me that animals have souls, but until then I’m still not sure. His personality and character and what he left behind have certainly left their mark, but perhaps I’m still too emotionally raw to take it to the next stage and think about whether he is still, in some way, looking after me.

I’ve changed so much over the years and found myself again; in the course of doing so, I’ve had many cats in my life. As I’ve built myself up again, the cats have contributed to my confidence and my belief in myself. I never think about what they can give me, just what I can give them, but, looking back on it, they have all done so much.

This wonderful relationship that we can have with our animals should never be taken for granted. If only I could have one more minute with Casper, I would make sure that he knew just how much he meant to me while I was blessed to share my life with him. Take that time if you still have the gift of your fellow creatures in your life – hold them, love them and cherish the moments you spend together, for there will never be enough.