There's a gorgeous article over at the Daily Mail about Christian, a lion cub owned by the hip owners of a London furniture store in the sixties:
I don't think Christian quite challenges Rupert the Pet Rhino for the crown of world's coolest pet, but until some mad geneticist cooks up a turtle sized elephant, Christian will have to be content with second place.
Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room [Daily Mail] (via Neatorama)