As a big cat lover, spots are very important. Patterns in general say a lot about the environment an animal lives in. Each cat is suited to their habitat. Unfortunately, people don't know the difference between spots, and/or they generalize how they look.

Here is a fantastic example of the different coats of big cats.

http://ispyanimals.files.wordpress......igcatspots.jpg

If you want to learn more, here's the website I got this from: http://ispyanimals.wordpress.com/ There are fantastic pictures of variant species of tigers, lions and a lot more. Always use references when arting or writing. It really does help.

(I am a melanistic Jaguar, with a leopard style head -- for anyone taking note. Remember, any cat can be a panther.)

TTFN
Tyvara