Letting the fur fly

This piece is not about WEREWOLVES. Fans of vampires and WEREWOLVES should read no further.

No, honestly, this isn't about paranormal stuff, so stop reading now if you really just saw the word WEREWOLVES in capitals and got excited. (Oo, I'm naughty.) It's about books starring animals, which seem to be popping up like meerkats on Viag - er, a phone advertisement.

Yes, they've been around a while, since Beatrix Potter and The Wind in the Willows, in fact. Aesop, if you're going to be like that about it. However, few aside from William Horwood's Duncton chronicles (talking badgers), were actually for adults. No longer. Rita Mae Brown is guilty of the long-running Mrs Murphy series, starring a cat. Stories about a small-town library cat called Dewey, and destructo-dog Marley, caused a non-fiction explosion. Suddenly it was raining cats and dogs. And it still is.

For you animal lovers, here's a special treat.

Sit.

After Cleo, Came Jonah - Helen Brown
The story of New Zealander Helen Brown, whose kitten Cleo helped heal her family's grief on the death of her young son, touched hearts on both sides of the Tasman. Now the sequel, After Cleo, is doing the same. It concerns a troublesome new feline addition to the family. If you haven't read it already, grab a copy, and a box of tissues.

Sophie, Dog Overboard - Emma Pearse

A true story. As Australians Jan and Dave Griffith motored out of Mackay marina on their boat Honey May, it was just another day in paradise. A weekend's sailing around the islands with their blue cattle dog, Sophie, and then home. But out at sea, the unthinkable happened. Sophie disappeared overboard and despite Jan and Dave's frantic search efforts, their beloved family pet was presumed lost at sea. What followed is a story of survival, luck and loyalty. A canine Robinson Crusoe was determined to beat the odds to return to her family...

Oink! My Life with Minipigs - Matt Whyman

Matt Whyman enjoys the quiet life. His wife, Emma, prefers the chaos a big brood can bring. On top of four challenging children, one freaked-out feline, a wolf-like dog and a wild bunch of ex-battery chickens, she brings minipigs Butch and Roxi into the fold. But can the new arrivals really cuddle up on the sofa, or will their growing presence spark a battle of hearts, snouts and minds? Funny, touching and entertaining, Oink! charts the trials and errors of one man and his menagerie.

Cats Can't Shoot - Clea Simon

When Pru Marlowe gets the call that there's been a cat shooting, she's furious. Animal brutality is the one thing that this tough animal psychic won't stand for, and in her role as a behaviorist she's determined to care for the traumatized pet. But when Pru finds out that the cat did the shooting--accidentally setting off a rare dueling pistol--she realizes something else is going on. Could the white Persian really have killed her owner? Or did the whole bloody mess have something to do with that pricey collectible?

Soldier Dogs: The Untold Story of America's Canine Heroes - Maria Goodavage

I have it on good authority that this one will bring a tear to your eye. These dogs put their lives on the line in the service of the American military, sniffing out bombs and bringing down bad guys in the world's worst war zones. The author also examines just how dogs think, and do what they do, and how they can suffer post-traumatic stress just like any human soldier. This is the story of America's most unsung heroes.

Long Shot: My Bipolar Life and the Horses Who Saved Me - Sylvia Harris
At times, her manic behavior led her to dress up as a cowgirl and show off her imaginary rope skills, or spend the night awaiting the alien invasion she knew was on the horizon. At its worst, it led her to look for love in all the wrong places and create a family she had difficulty caring for. At the nadir of her twenty-year battle, Harris found salvation in the most unlikely of places: Cardinal Farm, an equine ranch outside of Orlando, Florida. With an unflinching eye toward her weaknesses and the pain that her decisions have inflicted on others, Harris examines the magical power of horses, showing us how the mythic connection between humans and these magnificent animals continues to astonish and inspire.

A Street Cat Named Bob - James Bowen

When James Bowen found an injured ginger cat curled up in the hallway of his shelter, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet. Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas. Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts. A huge hit in the UK.

A Fistful of Collars - Spencer Quinn

The fifth in a gently witty mystery series with a canine narrator, Chet. Hoping to bring some Tinseltown money to the Valley, the mayor lures a movie studio to town to shoot a big-budget Western. Chet and his owner, private investigator Bernie Little, are hired to keep an eye on the troublesome star, Thad Perry. But Thad has a secret. The only people who might know the answer have a bad habit of turning up dead before they can talk. Worst of all, Thad has a feline friend Brando, who has taken an instant dislike to Chet...If you want to start with the first one, it's called Dog On It.

Pollyanne - Sarah Oliver
Pollyanne the donkey had a hard life. Cruelly neglected and mistreated, she was eventually taken to the knackers' yard to be sold on for slaughter. But John McLaren, of Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary, had other ideas. Unable to turn his back on an animal in pain, he bought Pollyanne and took her home to the sanctuary. This is the story of how she became a model and opera star.

The Elephant Whisperer - Lawrence Anthony

When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to refuse. But he was the herd's last chance of survival: they would be killed if he wouldn't take them. So he did. In the years that followed he became a part of their family. And as he battled to create a bond with the elephants, he came to realize that they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty, and freedom. This is a heartwarming, exciting, funny, and sometimes sad account of Anthony's experiences with these huge yet sympathetic creatures.

The Dalai Lama's Cat - David Michie
This novel is the tale of a small kitten rescued from the slums of New Delhi who finds herself in a beautiful sanctuary with sweeping views of the snow-capped Himalayas. In her exotic new home, the Dalai Lama's cat encounters Hollywood stars, Buddhist masters and a host of other people who come visiting his Holiness. Due in November; add yourself to the request list now.