Cleo by Helen Brown - not only for cat people

After a few months of winter laziness, I've decided the blog deserves a bit of my attention ;)

I've just finished reading an amazing book, Cleo: How a Small Black Cat Helped Heal a Family by Helen Brown. It doesn't have anything to do with veganism or with animal rights as such, still it is probably the most beautiful book about the relationship between people and an animal that I've ever read. The story begins as a very tragic one - the author's older son, Sam, dies in a traffic accident, leaving the rest of the family shattered, struggling to live on. Hope arrives at their doorstep in the form of the little black cat that Sam had chosen a couple of months before his death. At first Helen wants to give the cat back, but when she sees that Cleo has managed something that nobody else has since Sam's death, to bring a smile on her other son's face, she knows the little animal has to stay. Cleo quickly becomes the most important member of the family, patiently tolerating the ever changing circumstances: divorces, marriages, births, relocations..

Helen Brown described herself as not really being a cat person at the beginning of the book. That didn't last long. Cleo quickly proves what all cat owners know - she is not 'just' a cat, she is a very intelligent, sensitive being, who fully participates in the life of the family, who 'knows' more than people suspect, who helps them get through tough times and who brings indescribable joy into their home. Even if, as most of our beloved furry friends, she can in no time bring the house into a state reminding of an aftermath of a natural disaster or drive the normally patient slaves (after all that's what we are to a cat, aren't we?) completely crazy ;) Amid the joys and sorrows of everyday life she teaches them to express their true feelings, to enjoy every single moment of happiness, not to be afraid to grieve, to be good and kind.

Every chapter begins with a few sentences of cat wisdom, let me just quote you my favourite ones: Stress - a waste of nap time.

A truly beautiful book about the special bond, love and mutual respect between humans and animals. Just a word of warning, if you're a bit 'soft' like me, you might need a lot of tissues..