Tapasi Das is an animal lover with a strong interest in pets. She spends most of her day with the cats she keeps at home, and she wanted to spread her love for animals to others. With that in mind, on 7 December 2019 she created a Facebook page and named it Puchi Family.

During the coronavirus period, when everyone was confined at home, the Puchi Family page showed the daily life of some cats and a family. Tapasi's main aim was to share, through video content, the moments people and animals spend together. Over time Puchi Family became very popular on social media.

Tapasi says she has loved animals since childhood. Cats are her favourite and most cherished animal, and she spent most of her time with them as a child. She now has several cats at home and regards them as members of her family, especially Puchi, whom she thinks of and raises as her own daughter. In Tapasi's words: "These cats are like my children."

She now has about 14 cats. Through her videos she brings her family's moments and affection with the cats to the public, and the videos are dispelling many people's misconceptions and fears about animals. She always tries to show that pets are not dangerous creatures: they like living alongside people and they too know how to love. She also offers advice to people who keep cats or other pets at home.

Tapasi has two other popular Facebook pages, Golus Review and Puchir Maa. Puchi Family has more than 15 lakh followers. Tapasi and her family use part of the income from these platforms to help people in need.

Becoming an animal lover was not easy for Tapasi Das. She has faced various difficulties at different times; because some people hold misconceptions about pets, she has faced unpleasant moments and even harassment. Objections to her keeping several cats at home forced her to move house frequently. None of this has lessened her love for her pets. "Since I started living with them, it is almost impossible for me to live without them," she said. "I am with them now and I will be with them in future. They are part of my family."

Her husband and family have been her greatest support on this journey. "My family and its members have helped me enormously all along the way," Tapasi said. "My husband contributed most to getting this far with so many cats. Without his support it would never have been possible."

Her work and love are not only for her own pets. So far she has arranged vaccines for about a hundred cats, and the income from her video content is being used for animals and for people in need.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.