Mount Pleasant Magazine July/August 2017

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PETS 21
E X O T I C
Exotic pet shows or competitions couldn’t be less inter-
esting to this duo. Zara is happy to stay in the 3,000-foot
enclosure Garritano built for her, complete with a carpeted
slide and toy mice that he dangles from fishing poles. And
he’s happy to share the intrigue of his exotic pet on out-
ings, snapping photos with starry-eyed passersby who are
surprised to find Zara at places like Mozzo Deli, one of her
favorite watering holes.
“She is a smile-maker. I’ve
seen couples who are fighting
stop fighting and start chatting
and smiling together when they
see her,” said Garritano. “I paid
$15,000 for her and I would spend
it again in a minute. I got $15,000
worth of happiness within a few
months.”
This is the rare case where nam-
ing a cat Zarathustra is not overkill.
Named after Zoroaster, the ancient Iranian prophet who
mentored the three wise men in the bible, Zara even looks
a little biblical.
“She’s a cat, man. And she’s a chick. She’s got her own
thing going on,” said Garritano.
As Zara slinks off the hood of my car, Garritano explains
Zoroaster’s teachings: “Good thoughts; good words; good
deeds. The punishment if you mess up is just try again
tomorrow.”
Like a feline Mona Lisa, Zara
seems privy to this wisdom. Squint-
ing in the sun, she looks as fierce
as her F1 status implies. This is a
cat who would punch her prey to
death in the wild; not swat but hold
down with one paw and punch
into submission. But she is doing
good deeds here in Mount Pleasant,
laying docilely so diners at Dog &
Duck can stroke her.
“I just worry about if she ever
gets loose,” said Garritano, keeping
a close eye on Zara from his shady
seat at a picnic table. “You get some
guy who’ll come out with his gun
like, ‘I’m gonna bag me a bengal!’”
Out of his mouth, Bengal sounds
like a dirty word. Garritano’s Zara-
thustra is nothing if not a proud
Savannah cat. U