[Omah]

http://www.saffronwaldenreporter.co....iral_1_1831710

The cat who acted as foster father to lion cubs was a hit at the zoo from the day he arrived in 2000.

“He was a stray who made an immediate impression on all of us. Arnie had the most wonderful character, he quickly settled in with our two other zoo cats and was definitely here to stay,” said Kim.

“We believed he was a young adult at the time of his arrival. Over the last year or so, Arnie had developed arthritis in his back legs along with other age related problems.”

Arnie – named after Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger - became an attraction in his own right: welcoming visitors and offering unique guided tours to the chosen few; acting as zoo pest controller; and “the role of cheering up anyone feeling unwell, fed up or depressed”.

However his most eye-catching job was as babysitter to abandoned, new born animals brought into the Simmons’ home for hand rearing.

Some cat .....