A tourist pets a cat before the “Horus protects Ramses II as a child”, dating to the reign of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom pharaoh (1303-1213 BC), at the Egyptian Museum in the centre of Egypt's capital Cairo on October 19, 2022. (Photo by Amir Makar/AFP Photo)

Girls play with live Teacup pigs, a rare pet in the country, at the start of celebrations leading to the Lunar New Year, Friday, February 1, 2019 at Lucky Chinatown Plaza mall in Manila, Philippines. The upcoming Year of the Pig represents abundance, diligence and generosity. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)

It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)

This photographer has a long love affair with lady liberty – and has captured it on film. The amazing pictures show the Statue of Liberty silhouetted against an array of beautiful backdrops. In some photographs she appears to be supporting the moon, in others celebrating with fireworks in the background. Here: The statue of liberty in New York City, New York. (Photo by Peter Alessandria/Caters News)

Magira, the cat, stands in a new pet cleaning machine known as the PetSpa June 21, 2002 in Miami, Florida. The side-loading washing machine features 37 spray nozzles and is capable of washing, rinsing and blow drying a dog or cat in 30 minutes. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

An otter reaches for a snack from a customer at an otter cafe in Tokyo. Asian small-clawed otters are increasingly popular as novelty pets, particularly in Japan. Now international trade in the species may be banned. (Photo by Noriko Hayashi/The New York Times)

Parent hedgehogs Maria, left, and Gosha, 2nd right, eat with their albino babies in a private Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, August 22, 2013. Three rare albino hedgehog babies, born on the same day as Britain's new prince, have moved into a miniature castle at a Moscow petting zoo. The three are named after the Prince of Cambridge – George, Alexander and Louis. On Thursday, when they turned one month old, they were shown their new home at the All-Russia Exhibition Center. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr./AP Photo)

New Jersey based artist, Joe Iurato creates art using hand-cut paper and spray paint to make small wood cutout figures and placed in public spaces. According to Iurato, “a puddle can become a lake, a small crack in a cement wall can become a magnificent climb, a planter box can become a place for a child to play, and a shadow might be a tangible space for a few seconds a day”. Photo: “Small World”. (Photo by Joe Lurato)