Cato, a second-generation Bengal cat, was bought for £25,000 (US$41,435) in February, 1998, by Cindy Jackson of London, England. The cat was sold by breeder Lord C. Esmond Gay of Bedfordshire, England.

Cato a second-generation Bengal, meaning that he belongs to the Bengal breed, a wildcat hybrid resulting from breeding a domestic cat with a wild Asian leopard cat.

The Bengal is a large, sleek, and very muscular cat. It has a distinctive spotted or marbled coat, on a background colour of either brown or white. Bengals do not come cheap; they normally cost £600-2,500 ($970-4,000), depending on the cat’s coat and pedigree.

Cato looks like a leopard, with a wild cat's face and large, jade-green eyes. He occasionally wears an 18-carat gold and diamond Cartier necklace when he attends parties with his owner, Guinness World Record-holder Cindy.

At home, he shares the house with Pip, a Bombay cat (a mix of Burmese with a black British shorthair). The cats have their own cat condo, which is decorated in cream and dark brown, with splashes of leopard print thrown in.