[BTinSF]

Cat becomes bus regular in Britain

LONDON, April 9 (UPI) -- Bus drivers in London have nicknamed a cat that rides the No. 331 bus several days a week Macavity after the classic T.S. Elliot poem.
The cat, which has a collar and gets on and off at the same stops every time, was first noticed by bus driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

"It is really odd, the first time I saw the cat jumping off the bus with a group of passengers. I hadn't seen it get on which was a bit confusing," he said. "The next day I pulled up on Churchill Road to let a couple of passengers on. As soon as I opened the doors the cat ran toward the bus, jumped on and ran under one of the seats, I don't think any of the passengers noticed," he added.

Macavity has been riding the bus since two or three times a week since January, The Daily Mail said.

Source: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/04/09/cat_becomes_bus_regular_in_britain/

http://dingo.care2.com/pictures/c2c/share/34/344/487/344872_370.jpg

[J_Taylor]

cute cat, and that is a funny story

[pricemazda]

I love how he gets off at the same stop.

[Riise]

I hate cats, make him pay his fare!!! :P

[sentinel]

Brilliant. The question is where is he going?

[hoosier]

That cat must be a genius, or maybe I have underestimated the intelligence of our feline firends.

[M II A II R II K]

What if no one rings the bell for the right stop, does the cat ring it.

[Alargule]

Does a 'meow' count? :D

[BTinSF]

Brilliant. The question is where is he going?

Kieth Olberman said there was a fishmarket near where he gets off--not sure if that was just a joke or not, though.

[Nouvellecosse]

Wow, that's so weird! Most of the people I know say their cat hates going for car rides, but maybe the bus is somehow different. But what's really strange is, if the cat gets on and hides under the seat, how does it know when to get off? Can it actually keep track of where it is just from feeling the bus' motion and turns?

[pdxstreetcar]

This kind of thing seems to happen fairly often. A coyote boarded a light rail train in Portland (http://www.thepin.info/?p=61) about 5 years ago, a deer ran across the Golden Gate Bridge (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/19/BAGV06NT0D15.DTL) 3 years ago and a few months ago a dog boarded a bus in Portland (http://www.oregonlive.com/metro/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1167794702213840.xml&coll=7). And these are just the one's I've heard of.

[BTinSF]

^^^But did they do it several times a week for 3 months, always getting on an off at the same stops? I've never heard of an animal doing a regular commute on its own like this before.

[SnyderBock]

Wow, that's so weird! Most of the people I know say their cat hates going for car rides, but maybe the bus is somehow different. But what's really strange is, if the cat gets on and hides under the seat, how does it know when to get off? Can it actually keep track of where it is just from feeling the bus' motion and turns?

I bet the cats former owner would take this bus 3 times a week and bring the cat along. It became part of the cats daily routine. It got the timing down perfect after many journeys with the owner. Possibly becoming aware of how many times the doors open and close, before the cat was to get off the bus. Then the owner passed away suddenly one day. As part of the cats daily routine, it continues to take the tri-weekly bus ride - it once took with it's owner.

[nick_taylor]

^^^But did they do it several times a week for 3 months, always getting on an off at the same stops? I've never heard of an animal doing a regular commute on its own like this before.Pigeons in London have been known to do it, where they actually use the London Underground!