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If you've always wondered where your cat goes when he disappears for hours on end, the mystery may finally have been solved: He's joyriding around England on public transportation.Casper, a British kitty from Devon, has caught the same bus nearly every day for four years. He hops on, goes straight to the back and rides the bus for its entire route before getting off again in front of his house. He's so old now that the drivers make sure he gets off the bus at the right stop.
Elsewhere in the U.K., a mystery cat nicknamed Macavity takes the same bus a quarter of a mile several times a week, possibly to a fish and chips shop.
Both cats ride the bus like model commuters -- they sit quietly, don't speak, and respect others' privacy. There's no word on whether or not they get up for old people and pregnant ladies, but for the record we hope this phenomenon makes it stateside.
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Monday 03 August
By Karen
It'd never work in the US - someone would scream and try to sue. We have no tolerance these days - we are just money grabbing, noise/media/attention grabbing fools. All the whimsy has been killed off by lawsuits and negative publicity. Too bad, too....
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Monday 03 August
By Jen Y
I agree, it is so sad.
Wednesday 05 August
By carol
thank you karen, your so right about the people in the united states, if people would take just a few minutes out of their busy day to be just a little kind to people and animals, they might find out how much stress free their lives might become......
Monday 03 August
By stuffpuff
I once saw a dog, in Ireland, do the samething - jumped on the back platform, nodded to the conductor and got off at the right stop and trotted on up the street. Conductor said he rode regularly.
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Monday 03 August
By happinessinca
It would never happen here in states, just no tolorence here. Animals have to be in carriers at all times, or they are service animals. Even being a service animal, people still complain at times.
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Monday 03 August
By copskiss2
Americans are too uncivilized, especially in the places where people rely on public transportation. The cats would be killed, eaten, raped, burned and battered before reaching the last stop on any bus line!
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Monday 03 August
By Joe
Jeez, I agree that someone over here in the States would take offense to cats riding the bus and ruin it for all involved but killed, eaten, raped, burned and battered(in that order)? I think some one has a less than enlightened opinion of Americans or possibly a certain subset of them anyway.
Monday 03 August
By Zopine
That is a pretty harsh statement to be said about the whole of the U.S. We spend about 41 billion dollars on our pets annually. If I saw a cat on a bus, train, or airplane I would be overjoyed and I know plenty of people that would agree with me that I would throw any person off of the said bus, train, or airplane before allowing them to disturb the kitty. You can not judge a whole group of people by assumptions of the worst.
Monday 03 August
By Christine
Now see, that comment was just unnecessary. Not ALL Americans are what you blue-bloods perceive us to be!
Monday 03 August
By Leslie
So lovely!
Have you also heard of the stray dogs in Moscow taking the subway daily?
http://englishrussia.com/?p=2462
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Monday 03 August
By NTes
I wish public transportation here in the US was a more pleasant experience. But, unfortunately I think any feline brave enough to try riding a bus would most likely be A) crushed by a morbidly obese commuter, B) eaten by a insane homeless man or C) sued for causing commuters to feel warm and fuzzy inside (it is illegal to smile while riding public transportation here in the states).
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Monday 03 August
By Erica
"Americans are too uncivilized, especially in the places where people rely on public transportation. The cats would be killed, eaten, raped, burned and battered before reaching the last stop on any bus line!"
Cat rape? Is this a joke?
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Saturday 15 August
By Nod
"Cat rape?" Yes, some of those creeps are just that under-endowed.
Monday 03 August
By Christine
Now see, THAT'S the kind of story I like reading about! No one gets killed, no blood, rape or pillaging.....just a cute story to remind us not to sweat the small stuff. I think the cats that do this are re-incarnated MTA drivers!!!
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Monday 03 August
By KYLE
of course copskiss is kidding, I'm blown away at how many people either don't get the joke, or take such offense to it. Public transportation is dangerous in the U.S and Canada, of course it probably wouldn't be to that extent, but he knows that. And yes there are alot of people that would find it cute, it's not the majority, its the attention deprived minority with an over sized sense of entitlement that would sue. And a whole host of others that would do the rest, yes "Ntes" a crazy hobo might kill it, or some kid would throw it out a window, or some freak would stab it, maybe a real badass of sorts would shoot it, it just wouldn't fly here.
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Monday 03 August
By ahb
Of course it would work in the states, we love our kitties and puppies just as much as the next country. Sure, there will always be the people with allergies and bad attitudes that scoff and wanna spoil the magic of this type of situation, but those people are minorities and those traits transcend cultural and geographic boundaries. There's nothing innately "American" that would bar us from enjoying whimsy and depth in our animal friends. I'm sorry the US has such a bad rap for being so capitalistic and litigious. But if you only look for the bad traits in people, I suppose that's all you'll find. I would give my bus seat up for a cat any day.
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Wednesday 05 August
By Tina
The real reason why this would never happen in the US is that the kitty would be waiting so long for the bus that he or she would finally give up, say "F this for a game of soldiers", and go home for his or her tea. :-)
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Friday 14 August
By aubreym89
I'm American and I happen to agree that Americans do not like animals. I can't speak about other countries feelings toward Animals, but America is chock full of people who think that animals are okay to abuse. I mean, this is a country where a man who drowned, skinned, fought dogs and hanged them can still get a huge salary in the NFL. The meat/dairy industry is huge here, and it is as abusive and grotesque as can be. Also, just because Americans spend a lot on pets does NOT mean their pets are being taken care of. Ever been to your local shelter? They are locked up in tiny cells because their family didn't have the compassion to keep them when it got tough, and the shelters are outrageously full! I live in a city that automatically kills pit bulls who enter the shelter. Is that kindness toward animals? No way.
I will say, there are some great, animal loving people in America, there just aren't as many as there should be.
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Saturday 15 August
By Brian Jolly
I am American. Speak for yourself Aubreym89. I love animals. I am a veterinarian. I also own an animal sanctuary for abandoned, abused, neglected and burned animals. Maybe you hate animals, but I know plenty of americans that love them and treat them the way they should be treated. Sure, there are those who grew up in a family that beat and tortured animals, and they're also the ones who will do the same to a human if they had the chance, Micheal Vick for example.
Please don't speak for anyone but yourself. Thanks.
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Thursday 29 April
By two0713
If america were full of wounderful people like you think it is you wouldnt need to run your sanctuary.