Casper the Commuting Cat
Encyclopedia
Casper the Commuting Cat is an English non-fiction
book by Susan Finden about her cat, Casper
who attracted world-wide media attention when he became a regular bus commuter in Plymouth
in Devon
, England. The book was ghost-written
by Scottish writer Linda Watson-Brown, and was first published in the United Kingdom by Simon & Schuster UK
on 5 August 2010. Subtitled: The True Story of the Cat Who Rode the Bus and Stole Our Hearts, the book was translated into six languages, and was generally well received by reviewers.
, that the author, Susan Finden had adopted from a rescue centre in 2002. She describes how Casper liked to wander from her house and was not afraid of people or traffic
. Casper used to walk into office blocks and doctors' consulting rooms and find a chair to sleep on. Then he started queuing with people at a bus stop
across the road from his house and boarding buses that took his fancy. He would curl up on a seat and go to sleep, and when the bus had completed its 11 mile round-trip to the city centre and returned to his bus stop, the driver would let him off. Casper's commuting habits made him a celebrity and Finden describes the world-wide media attention that she and Casper received. In January 2010 Casper died after being struck by a speeding taxi while crossing the road outside his house. Finden tells how she coped with her loss and the renewed media attention that followed.
In addition to covering Casper's exploits, Finden includes in the book a brief story of her own life, and discusses the other cats she had adopted from rescue centres. Also present are several light-hearted chapters "written" by Casper from "the other side" in which he gives advice to other cats on how to handle humans, catch a bus, and deal with the media.
in Devon
, England. After the world-wide media coverage of Casper's death, New York-based publishing house Simon & Schuster
expressed an interest in buying the rights
to Casper's story, and sent representatives from their London office to secure a deal with Finden. Scottish ghostwriter
Linda Watson-Brown, also a crime fiction
writer and columnist in The Scotsman
, assisted Finden with the book. Watson-Brown, an animal lover herself who had previously ghostwritten The Pet Whisperer by Sarah-Jane le Blanc, said that Finden's book "is such a positive and uplifting story, and it's all told in Sue's voice." Casper the Commuting Cat was aimed at both adults and children, and was published with photographs of Casper.
Before the launch of the book, Finden said she intended donating "every penny" she made from the proceeds of the book to animal rescue charities. She also remarked that she found it "very weird seeing my name as an author on Amazon; I was useless at English at school."
's Christmas bestseller list, and it was selected by the Herald Sun
in Australia as their "top cat book" for 2010.
The Bookbag website in the UK said the book was "well written and told with honesty and love", and called it "a sweet tale of a unique cat who touched many people's hearts all over the world". Television New Zealand
said animal lovers will find the book "a charming and heart-warming tale", although the reviewer did find the chapters "written" by Casper "a little odd and off-putting". The News in New Zealand described the book as "a heart-warming look at the joy animals can bring to a whole community", but also felt that the sections by Casper were weak. The reviewer wrote that while some stories told from an animal's perspective work well, here the idea was "ill-conceived" as Casper never had anything interesting or clever to say.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book by Susan Finden about her cat, Casper
Casper (cat)
Casper , was a male domestic cat who attracted world-wide media attention in 2009 when it was reported that he was a regular bus commuter in Plymouth in Devon, England...
who attracted world-wide media attention when he became a regular bus commuter in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England. The book was ghost-written
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
by Scottish writer Linda Watson-Brown, and was first published in the United Kingdom by Simon & Schuster UK
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
on 5 August 2010. Subtitled: The True Story of the Cat Who Rode the Bus and Stole Our Hearts, the book was translated into six languages, and was generally well received by reviewers.
Synopsis
Casper the Commuting Cat is the story of an adventurous cat, CasperCasper (cat)
Casper , was a male domestic cat who attracted world-wide media attention in 2009 when it was reported that he was a regular bus commuter in Plymouth in Devon, England...
, that the author, Susan Finden had adopted from a rescue centre in 2002. She describes how Casper liked to wander from her house and was not afraid of people or traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
. Casper used to walk into office blocks and doctors' consulting rooms and find a chair to sleep on. Then he started queuing with people at a bus stop
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
across the road from his house and boarding buses that took his fancy. He would curl up on a seat and go to sleep, and when the bus had completed its 11 mile round-trip to the city centre and returned to his bus stop, the driver would let him off. Casper's commuting habits made him a celebrity and Finden describes the world-wide media attention that she and Casper received. In January 2010 Casper died after being struck by a speeding taxi while crossing the road outside his house. Finden tells how she coped with her loss and the renewed media attention that followed.
In addition to covering Casper's exploits, Finden includes in the book a brief story of her own life, and discusses the other cats she had adopted from rescue centres. Also present are several light-hearted chapters "written" by Casper from "the other side" in which he gives advice to other cats on how to handle humans, catch a bus, and deal with the media.
Background
Susan Finden was born in 1954 and is a mother of three children who lives and works as a part-time health care worker in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England. After the world-wide media coverage of Casper's death, New York-based publishing house Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
expressed an interest in buying the rights
Publishing rights
Literally, the right to publish a work.In the music industry, "publishing" is used as a catch-all shorthand for the administration of matters relating to the songwriter's and composer's share of income from a musical composition or recorded work....
to Casper's story, and sent representatives from their London office to secure a deal with Finden. Scottish ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
Linda Watson-Brown, also a crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
writer and columnist in The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, assisted Finden with the book. Watson-Brown, an animal lover herself who had previously ghostwritten The Pet Whisperer by Sarah-Jane le Blanc, said that Finden's book "is such a positive and uplifting story, and it's all told in Sue's voice." Casper the Commuting Cat was aimed at both adults and children, and was published with photographs of Casper.
Before the launch of the book, Finden said she intended donating "every penny" she made from the proceeds of the book to animal rescue charities. She also remarked that she found it "very weird seeing my name as an author on Amazon; I was useless at English at school."
Reception
Casper the Commuting Cat was published in August 2010, and by November it had sold 10,500 copies. The book was also translated into six other languages, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Italian, Cantonese and Mandarin. It reached number two in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
's Christmas bestseller list, and it was selected by the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
in Australia as their "top cat book" for 2010.
The Bookbag website in the UK said the book was "well written and told with honesty and love", and called it "a sweet tale of a unique cat who touched many people's hearts all over the world". Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
said animal lovers will find the book "a charming and heart-warming tale", although the reviewer did find the chapters "written" by Casper "a little odd and off-putting". The News in New Zealand described the book as "a heart-warming look at the joy animals can bring to a whole community", but also felt that the sections by Casper were weak. The reviewer wrote that while some stories told from an animal's perspective work well, here the idea was "ill-conceived" as Casper never had anything interesting or clever to say.
External links
- Extract from Casper the Commuting Cat. Daily MailDaily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
.