Zaima Rahman on the buzz around Zebu: ‘I’m surprised and amused – if only she understood!’
Zaima Rahman, daughter of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, has expressed surprise and amusement at the intense public curiosity surrounding her pet cat Zebu in Bangladesh.
In a post on her Facebook page on Monday (29 December), she wrote: “I must admit I’m equally surprised and amused by the level of curiosity surrounding Zebu in Bangladesh. If only she understood!”
She continued: “Caring for an animal, any animal, is a great responsibility. After all, it is a life, a creation of Allah. When I first brought Zebu home as a kitten, I never imagined how deeply she would become part of our family. There were times when my parents would come home and ask after Zebu before asking about me! She would bounce around my mum as she gardened or walked through the neighbourhood, and in the evenings she would curl up on my dad’s lap, enjoying a head massage while he finished his work calls. As for me, Zebu always seemed able to read my emotions, offering comfort in the only ways her little paws and fluffy belly could."
"Any pet owner knows how challenging it can be to move homes with an animal. Zebu has now travelled across continents into a completely new world. For her small soul, this is a far greater upheaval than we humans may ever fully realise.
Through Zebu, our family has learned a great deal about patience, compassion for creatures big and small, and the beauty of loving and caring for one another even without a shared language. Love, after all, transcends species," she added.
Zaima further added, "We have always grown up with animals, and I truly believe that anyone privileged enough to care for another living being will learn far more about themselves than they might expect.
Fun fact about Zebu: she doesn’t meow! She never has, not even if she’s stuck inside a cupboard. Instead, she chirps softly like a bird when she’s happy or surprised, groans in mild protest if you carry her without permission, and can yowl quite aggressively at cats she doesn’t like!”
