Despite never having owned a cat...and therefore being fairly illiterate in the ways of the cat (though, with a couple of bouts of cat-sitting under my belt, not being a complete novice)...I've recently found myself contemplating the pros and cons of inviting a feline friend into the Hebden household.

Fast forward to Into The Gloss' feature on jewelery designer (and beautifully dressed woman-about-town) Gaia Repossi...and her Bengal cat, Petra. Forget the words of skincare wisdom...I want a cat that looks like a leopard.

Of course...then the research starts...and I discover that the Bengal cat "is a relatively new hybrid breed of cat, formed by the cross of a domestic feline and an Asian Leopard Cat ("ALC")"...and that, furthermore, "The Bengal cat has a desirable "wild" appearance with a gentle domestic cat temperament, provided it is separated by at least three generations from the original crossing between a domestic feline and an ALC."

Hmmm, so...over three generations of breeding, sumptuously beautiful pet...under three, semi-wild animal that could rip your head off. Given the bad luck that I can have with such things, should I continue to contemplate such a potentially risky venture?