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Potter Park Zoo Pallas’s cat gains online following with the help of one super fan

Pazi sticking out his tongue in his enclosure
Courtesy
/
@pazispallas

A wild cat at Lansing’s Potter Park Zoo now has tens of thousands of online fans, and that may be all because of one super fan from the city.

Pazi the Pallas’s cat has lived at the zoo for several years. Native to Central Asia, the species is kind of small and grumpy-looking, with fluffy brownish-grey fur and big paws.

The fan, who goes by Pazi online in honor of the cat, started an Instagram account for the animal in 2023.

“My heart just melted and I fell in love,” he said.

“[Pazi] deserves to be famous, and he deserves some recognition, and so, I kind of took it upon myself as a hobby to photograph him and share him with the world.”

Pazi, curled up in a basket in his enclosure
Courtesy
/
@pazispallas
Pazi was born on April 26, 2020.

Since then, the account has gained more than 80,000 followers, full of photos and videos of Pazi the cat snuggling up, walking around his enclosure or making interesting noises.

“He makes a territorial call that sounds kind of like the honking of a goose, and I find it very funny because that sound coming from a cat seems very unusual,” the fan said. He asked to remain anonymous to protect his privacy.

The account has become more than just documenting Lansing’s Pallas’s cat. Pazi the human has traveled around Europe and to Japan, always making time to stop by local zoos that have their own cats.

He says he always comes back to see his namesake, sometimes just stopping by. Other times, he’ll hang out all day. One of his photos of Pazi is the cover of the zoo’s 2025 calendar.

Potter Park Zoo 2025 calendar featuring a picture of Pazi growling
Courtesy
/
Potter Park Zoo
Pazi is the cover star of the Potter Park Zoo's 2025 calendar. He's also featured on the December page.

“Almost every time I come to the zoo, I've probably been 100 times, I always see him do a new behavior every single time,” he said.

But now, the fan is moving away for work, meaning his visits to the zoo will become less frequent.

“I'm, like, heartbroken that I have to move. But also, at the same time, I'll be back and I'll come and visit.”

Even though he’ll move away from Pazi the cat, Pazi the human says he plans to continue traveling and documenting Pallas’s cats around the world.

Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Pazi, resting his paws on his tail in the snow
Courtesy
/
@pazispallas
Pallas's cats are solitary in the wild, so Pazi lives by himself.

Sophia Saliby is the local producer and host of All Things Considered, airing 4pm-7pm weekdays on 90.5 FM WKAR.
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