A rescued baby lion is all grown up but still needs his blankey to sleep

Lion rescuer Vicky Keahey took possession of a baby lion in June 2014. At the time of her rescue she said the cute little lion looked more like a puppy than a mighty cat.

The lion, named Lambert, was illegally purchased by a family who didn’t want him anymore, and he desperately needed help.

Keahey was more than happy to take him to her rescue “In-Sync Exotics.”

“The previous owners obtained him illegally as a pet for their young children,” Angela Culver, Keahey’s media director, told Bored Panda.

The children wanted a “Simba” pet after seeing The Lion King.

“After a short time, the family decided they could not keep him, so we were contacted asking if we could take him, which of course we were happy to do,” Keahey explained.

“We had heard from the previous owners that he slept in the bed with the grandfather,” Keahey told The Dodo. “So I got him a blanket, went into the enclosure and put the blanket in one of the corners. He curled up on that blanket and he went right to sleep. Ever since then, I always give him a blanket.”

Now, Lambert is 2 years old and still lives under the care of Keahey because he couldn’t survive in the wild.

“He has 7,000 sq. ft. worth of space to run around in, which includes a covered den area for shade and protection from the weather and a sunny, grassy playground with the pool he loves to play in,” Keahey added.

“He is just like any other 2 year-old lion in that he is active and playful, and is full of cattitude. You know where you stand with him.”

This is what Lambert looked like when he was first rescued.

Just look at this adorable little face.

Now all grown up, he still needs his blankey at night or he can’t sleep.

Here’s an adorable video of Lambert enjoying time with one of his favorite blankeys.