HELEN Brown was determined that she was simply taking her two sons to "have a look" at a litter of kittens.
Claiming one as their own and bringing it home was never an option.
- Cleo: How an Uppity Cat Helped Heal a Family, by Helen Brown. Allen and Unwin, rrp $26.99
But nine-year-old son Sam had other ideas.
He fell in love with a little black ball of fur and it was arranged that, when the kitten was old enough to leave its mother, it would be dropped off at their house and become the family pet.
But Sam never got to raise his kitten, as the boy was run over and killed while crossing the road near his New Zealand home.
When Cleo the kitten was delivered to Brown's door while she was shocked and grieving, her reaction was to turn it away.
But Cleo snuggled itself into the family fold, and through a mixture of naughtiness, playfulness and cuteness, reminded the family that Sam chose this cat and she was a piece of him they couldn't let go.
This autobiography joins a range of other similar books in favour at the moment - the Marley and Me set - that takes a beloved family pet as a way of exploring our human existence, frailties, grief and joys.
The story spans more than a decade, with new love and another addition to Brown's family a part of the tale.
Even avowed dog people will have a soft spot for Cleo, and Brown's story of a family taking shape amid bereavement is a well-written and moving one.
