Whether a cat wears the equivalent of a windbreaker or a parka usually depends on local climate. African lions, in their short, tan coat, do well on the hot savanna. The snow leopard of Asia's Far East depends on its thick, light-colored coat to fend off cold and blend in with the snow. The answer is having as many as three different types of coat hair.
Humans produce only one type of hair, each strand from an individual follicle.
The more numerous secondary hairs of the undercoat, in contrast, grow in clusters from single follicles. Depending on the cat s environment, the double-layered coat works like household insulation to prevent warmth from escaping when it's cold or entering when it's hot. Cat fanciers give out ribbons for perfectly patterned coats. For a feline that must survive in the wild, though, coat patterns are a hide-saving form of protection. The stripes, spots or blotches help them blend into their environment by obscuring the distinct outline of their bodies.