Dhaka, Oct. 7 -- BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has said the cat often seen in his photos on social media belongs to his daughter.

"First of all, to be clear, the cat is my daughter's. But now it has become everyone's cat - we all love and care for it," he said when his attention was drawn over his interest in animal welfare during an interview with BBC Bangla. Recalling his early years, Tarique said he and his brother grew up surrounded by animals at home.

He said when he was a child they had a small dog and his mother also raised ducks, chickens and even goats. "We also kept pigeons and a variety of birds in a large cage at home. We even had a Myna bird we brought from Barishal - it used to talk in the local dialect," he said.

He...