[Deathwatch] Casper, bus-riding cat, 12

[Notification of departing celebrities]

  Bus-riding cat Casper killed in hit & run

Thu Jan 21

LONDON (Reuters) -- A cat which became famous in Britain for riding on 
the buses around the southern English city of Plymouth has died after 
being run over, media reported.

Casper, a 12-year-old black and white cat, used to wait with commuters 
at a bus stop outside his home and then hop on to the number 3 bus to 
find a seat to curl up on.

The cat was so well-known on the service that drivers knew at which stop 
to let him off.

Casper's death was announced on a notice put up at his bus stop by his 
owner, the BBC and local newspapers reported.

"Many local people knew Casper, who loved everyone -- he also enjoyed 
the bus journeys," it said.

"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."

The bus service, First Devon and Cornwall, said it was "devastated" by 
the cat's death.

"Casper touched many people's lives and clearly had a very exciting life 
traveling around Plymouth and who knows where else," a company 
spokeswoman said in a statement.

"I suspect he's now exploring heaven and is telling all the other cats 
up there about the many adventures he had."

A picture of the cat will continue to be used on one of the company's 
buses, it said.

Casper's owner, 55-year-old Susan Finden, who re-homed him from a rescue 
center in 2002, said he had always been a free spirit and was named 
after the cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost, because of his 
habit of wandering off.

The website for local newspaper The Herald said it had received tributes 
from around the world.

"Casper was a special cat and he had a wonderful life. He will be missed 
in the Netherlands too," Jelle from Holland wrote.

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