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

My Story

Casper

Sue is quite right when she says this is the story of a cat called Casper. It is my story, and I’m delighted it’s being told, as I certainly made the most of my life. Whilst a lot of my fellow cats were happy to observe their owner’s boundaries, I always went that bit further. Inquisitiveness is in a cat’s nature but for me it was everything. I simply had to climb that fence, jump over that wall or ride that bus. There was just so much exploring to do. Of course, thinking back, I wish I’d not have been quite as nosy and naughty. If I hadn’t insisted on going out that January morning I might still be down there with the rest of you, eating tasty treats. But I lived my nine lives the only way I could – to the full. And now I’m on the other side, across the rainbow bridge – as the afterlife is called in the animal world – I can look back with a sense of satisfaction that I went to places few cats are bold enough to explore.

I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to point out a few things about what it’s like for a cat trying to make his way around that crazy planet of yours. We felines can sometimes feel a little bemused by it all. You see, humans, while often acting with the best of intentions, do have some peculiar ways. I’m sure most of you conduct yourself as well as you can, but there are so many rules and regulations, that I often wonder how you get from day to day. You rush around, always in a hurry, always so concerned about things that seem – may I say – rather unimportant, yet when creatures such as myself try to slow you down, to make you see the pleasant things in life, you are generally amenable, which means there is hope for you. How much easier each day would be if you took a few lessons from us cats and tried to see things the furry way.

While I was quite content to make new friends, explore new worlds and embark on adventures, there were moments when I found your world quite crazy. That got me thinking how useful it would be if there were guidelines to make the journey and the relationships clearer.

Which brings me to this: the next time you wonder where your cat companion has been for the day, instead of asking daft questions that no self-respecting member of the cat world would ever answer, even if we could talk, it would save us all a lot of time if you were simply to refer to Casper’s Rules, which I have reproduced in this book for the benefit of all. My time on earth may have passed, but there is no reason why I cannot still teach you a better way of doing things. I do hope that, in return, you will learn.

I hope you enjoy my tales of how I managed to navigate this strange place – the conventions I needed to understand (and sometimes avoid), as well as the various tricks I used to ensure humans realized just how important it was for me to go about my daily business as effortlessly as possible. I may no longer be with you physically, but I’m still around. I’m still here to help and guide you. I am, after all, rather fond of you.

So now it’s time to enter my world . . . with a little help from my mum.

Casper