Happy Birthday, Batu!
Yesterday was the 10th birthday of Batu, the Pallas's cat at Prospect Park Zoo. I specifically drove to Brooklyn to visit the fluffy birthday star. But the biggest surprise was getting to see Batu's fluffy wife, Sarnai, who is rarely spotted — what a beautifully delicate-faced cat she is!
It all came together thanks to the zoo's Pallas's cat keeper, Ashley — whose name I actually learned from the HBO documentary series The Zoo, Season 3, Episode 9: "Grumpy Cat's New Digs," which introduced Batu and Sarnai and showcased the construction of their new exhibit. I was lucky enough to run into her while I was watching the cats, and I got to ask her about how both cats are doing. Their breeding season this year just wrapped up, and the breeding process has not been very successful. These two have been a breeding pair for many years. A few years ago they had a kitten that died young, and later a mass was found in Sarnai's uterus. Ashley mentioned that the zoo has already collected semen from Batu, so artificial insemination is an option if needed in the future — and it turns out the birthday boy Batu actually has high-quality Pallas's cat sperm!
After I explained why I'd come and mentioned that I had never once seen Sarnai, Ashley said she wasn't going to let me leave empty-handed today (so kind of her!), and went into the back den to fetch Sarnai's favorite enrichment items — a tray of balls and a tray of wooden blocks. And that's how we got the beautiful Sarnai finally venturing out into the outdoor exhibit.
The two cats seemed to get along quite well and appeared comfortable with each other. Sarnai is such a beautiful rose— Batu is a lucky guy! The last time I visited, Batu had been pacing the outdoor exhibit in what looked like repetitive patrol behavior, and I was worried he might be developing a stereotypy. But yesterday I observed a much wider variety of behaviors, so I think I was overthinking it — after all, Prospect Park Zoo is a zoo with decades of experience caring for Pallas's cats. He got his birthday rat treats, did a round of patrolling outside, and polished off his meal — the whole show, which I managed to miss entirely, unfortunately! Thank you for taking such a good care of them, Ashley!
Here's hoping both little cats stay healthy and live long lives! I'm already planning to come back next month for Sarnai's 10th birthday : )