Zara the lion cub and Arnie the house cat make a purrfect couple

With whiskers entwined and their furry bodies snuggled close, Zara and Arnie make a purrfect couple.

Unfortunately, the best friends are set for a rude awakening.

Very soon Zara the lion cub will have to say goodbye to her male companion Arnie the ginger tom cat.

After six weeks together, Zara is set to leave the confines of her comfy home to start a new life in Africa. But Arnie will not be going with her.

Cute cub Zara would have died if she had been left with young parents Safina and Zuri, who were struggling to cope with their newborn at Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire.

Instead the little lioness joined the family of zoo director Kim Simmons and has become best buddies with their cat.

The happy couple: Zara the lion cub enjoys a lick from tom cat Arnie

Now Zara is set to make another transition - to the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe, Uganda, East Africa, where she will join the Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).

Kim said: 'As long as she's going to a good home with a good quality of life, I have to be happy.

'I'll find it a struggle to part with her but I know she will never forget me.'

The UWEC rescues and rehabilitates animals and aims to promote the conservation of wildlife in Uganda and educate children.

Zoo director Kim Simmons gives Zara some milk. The young cub is living at her home until she leaves for her new life at the Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre

Zara is doing well since being removed from her parents six weeks ago.

She has been transformed from a helpless 2lb 4oz cub into a 10lb bundle of mischief.

Kim said: 'We only hand-rear the cubs if it is absolutely necessary, but this was Safina's first baby and she couldn't feed her due to her young age and inexperience.

Cat nap: Zara and Arnie have a doze, making the most of their time together

'She lives in the house and is bottle-fed by us daily. She's got an absolutely wonderful personality and is very laid back and affectionate.

'Arnie the cat loves having cubs in the house and the two are great friends, but we'll have to guard him as Zara gets bigger and stronger.'

Zara is one of five lions at family-run Linton Zoo which has been operating since 1972. The others are her grandparents Riziki and Karla and her parents.

Zara would have died if she had been left with her young parents, who were struggling to cope with their newborn cub. But she has come on well after being hand reared by zoo director Kim Simmons

Safina and Zuri are expecting another litter of cubs in October and Kim thinks their brief experience with Zara wull help them cope better next time.

Zara's progress is being followed by a Channel 5 film crew who are making a documentary to be screened later this year.

All lions born at Linton Zoo will be moved to Uganda as part of a joint project between West Midlands Safari Park and Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire.