Spots vs stripes
There are around 40 species of wild cat, each of which has to hunt to find food. In general, cats that live in open habitats are more likely to be plain, and most felines that live in dense habitats have some sort of pattern. However, there are exceptions to this rule, like the spotted cheetah that lives out on the savannah, and the plain bay cat that spends its life in the forest.
Round markings are the most common for big cats and these can be in the form of solid spots or dappled rosettes. Tigers are the only cats to have regular vertical stripes, which may suggest that spots are better camouflage than straight lines. But there’s no definite answer on this yet. Researchers agree that vertical stripes are extremely effective camouflage, so it’s a mystery as to why more cats don’t have them.
“Cats that live in open habitats are more likely to be plain, and most felines that live in dense habitats have some sort of pattern”