Baby liliger Kiara plays with her new foster mother - a domestic cat.

Kiara is a liliger - a hybrid cross between a lion and a ligress (a cross between a lion and a tiger). She was born recently at Novosibirsk Zoo in Russia.

Unfortunately, her mother stopped producing milk, so the zoo staff had to begin hand-feeding her from a bottle every three hours. In order to maintain the necessary around-the-clock feedings, keeper Roza Solovieva decided to take Kiara home to foster. There, Kiara met Roza's domestic cat, Darka.

As a mother to a kitten already, Darka immediately slipped into the role of parent, cleaning, cuddling, and playing with Kiara 24/7. Despite their affection for one another, Roza kept a close eye on the two.

Once Kiara was old enough to begin eating meat, it was just a matter of time before she would begin displaying predatory behavior; as such, it was time for her to return to her natural mother. The reintroduction went smoothly, and Kiara now happily resides at the zoo with her mother.