As far as lifelong friendships go, Muschi thinks her large and loveable friend Maeuschen is the cat's pyjamas. The feline, which struck up the unlikely friendship with the 40-year-old Asian bear eight years ago, now can't bear to be apart from her friend.





In fact, the pair are so close that zookeepers at Berlin Zoo had to reunite them after Muschi, or 'pussy' in German, pined for Maeuschen - 'little mouse' - after they were separated.

The pair were split up last October when the bear was locked in a cage while her living space was enlarged. The distraught cat soon caught the attention of zoo keepers after she remained sitting outside the bear's cage pining for her friend.



This week, keepers took the unusual step of allowing the feline into the cage with her shaggy-haired pal. 'They greeted each other and had a cuddle and now they're happy,' said Heiner Kloes, a member of the zoo's management board.

