What do you think your cat sees when they\u2019re staring out the window? Do you think it\u2019s the same vibrant world full of bright greens, blues, and reds that you see?<\/p>\n
As natural, and exceptionally skilled, hunters, I always assumed cats had impeccable vision; like the grounded version of a falcon. Lo and behold, I was wrong. While cats are certainly incredible hunters, there is no disputing that, in many ways, they actually see worse than we do. <\/p>\n
Are Cats Color Blind?<\/h2>\n
The retina of the eye in humans and cats contains cones and rods, two types of photoreceptor cells that allow your pet to see the world. The cones are responsible for seeing colors and making out shapes or details from a distance. Conversely, Rods are responsible for peripheral vision (how far to the side you can see) and vision in low light.<\/p>\n
So, what does this mean for cats?<\/p>\n
Cats have three types of cones, also called cone populations, that allow them to see colors at wavelengths 450nm (blue), 500nm (greenish-blue), and 550nm (yellow)1<\/sup>. In comparison, humans also have three cone populations. So does this mean cats see the same colors as us? Not exactly. The human eye may have three cone populations, but we have 10x the number of cones as cats. This means what a cat sees is muted, dull versions of the colors that we see. They also won\u2019t be able to differentiate between shades of colors like we can.<\/p>\n So, are cats color-blind? Not at all! Cats definitely see in color; they just don\u2019t get to appreciate the same vividly colorful world that we do.<\/p>\n We talked about how the cones in a cat\u2019s eye play a direct role in perceiving colors, but they also affect visual acuity (the ability to distinguish shapes and details at a distance).<\/p>\n With fewer cones, cats can\u2019t see as far as humans or in as great a detail. Beyond about 20 feet, a cat\u2019s vision becomes blurry, but this isn\u2019t a hindrance to them like we might think. A cat\u2019s vision is optimized for their natural behaviors, and being ambush predators, they don\u2019t need to see at the same distance a hawk does.<\/p>\n Cats excel in low-light situations, so yes, they have exceptional night vision. What they see, however, doesn\u2019t resemble what night vision goggles look like in military movies.<\/p>\n We mentioned that cats have fewer cones in their retina than humans, but they have significantly more rods, roughly six times as many. This effectively means that cats can see six times better in low light than humans can.<\/p>\nWhat Colors Do Cats See Best?<\/h3>\n
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How Far Can Cats See?<\/h2>\n
Do Cats Have Night Vision?<\/h2>\n
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