When Mahbub Alam Rabin lost his cat, Parul, he turned to Facebook for help. He took her picture, posted it in several pet groups and waited for someone to respond.
The posts reached plenty of people, but not necessarily those who could help. Someone living 50 kilometres away might share the post or leave a comment, while someone just a few streets away might never see it. What Rabin needed was a way to alert people living near the place where his cat had gone missing.
That experience gave him an idea: an app that could connect pet owners with people in their neighbourhood and make it easier to find missing animals.
A graduate in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Rabin began working on the idea with a team. The result was Parul, a free social networking app developed in Bangladesh for animals and the people who care for them.
The app became available on Google Play in October 2026 and attracted more than 1,600 users in its first two weeks.
Finding missing pets
Lost-pet alerts are among Parul’s main features. Owners can report a missing animal and set an alert radius of between one and five kilometres. People within that area receive a notification containing the pet’s photograph and last known location.
The feature also allows users to report stray animals or pets they find wandering without their owners. By sharing the animal’s approximate location, they can help its owner find it.
In one recent case in Badda, a missing-pet alert reached more than 150 nearby residents almost immediately.
Unlike general social media posts, which can spread far beyond the area where an animal went missing, Parul focuses on reaching people who are close enough to help.
More than a lost-and-found app
Parul gives every user a personal profile and every pet its own page. Owners can follow other accounts with a single tap, without sending friend requests or waiting for approval.
The app also has six reactions of its own: High Paw, Smitten, Giggle, Whoa, Sniffle and Hiss.
Its community features come in two forms. Private neighbourhood circles allow people living on the same street or in the same building to organise feeding schedules for street animals, find homes for rescued kittens and share local updates.
Open communities bring together animal lovers from different parts of Bangladesh to discuss pet care and animal welfare.
Connecting animals with blood donors
Another practical feature is Parul’s blood donor network. Owners can register healthy dogs weighing at least 23kg and cats weighing at least 4kg, provided the animals are between one and eight years old.
When an animal nearby needs a blood transfusion, registered owners receive an alert. A veterinary check is required before any donation takes place.
Adoption support and health records
Parul also helps users keep track of adopted animals after they move into new homes. The app sends follow-up check-ins to adopting families on days 3, 7, 15 and 30. People who arranged the adoption can use the updates to see how the animals are settling in.
The platform prohibits buying and selling animals. Accounts found attempting commercial trades can be restricted.
Pet owners can also store medical information, record vaccination dates and receive reminders when booster shots are due. They can choose which health details are visible to other users.
Veterinary help, transport and other services planned
Parul is available on Google Play, while its iOS version is in development. Rabin also wants to make it easier for owners to find veterinary care, pet transport and shelter information without searching through multiple Facebook groups.
Several features are being developed:
• 24-hour veterinary consultations: Online access to veterinary advice when animals need urgent attention.
• Pet transport: Services to help owners move their animals safely.
• Shelter and foster home directory: Searchable listings with community reviews to help users find local care.
• Animal abuse reporting: A facility to report cruelty and access legal guidance.
• Parul Shop: An online store for pet food, medicine, litter and other supplies, with delivery services.
What started with Rabin’s repeated struggle to find his missing cat has grown into an app that brings together pet owners, rescuers and animal lovers. Its central idea remains simple: when an animal goes missing or needs help, the people best placed to respond may be living just a few streets away.
