People often ask how cats see. Can cats see color? Can cats see better than dogs? Or better than even humans? These questions have crossed my mind as well, so I did a bit of research, and I’d like to share my findings.
A lot of what I found was in very technical terminology. If fact, I had to use my dictionary and encyclopedia a lot more than usual.
Well, here we go! People are curious if cats see color. The simple answer is yes. The explanation is that cats have two kinds of cells in their retina; cones and rods. Cone cells are responsible for color. Humans have more cone cells than cats, allowing them to see colors more vividly. There are two schools of thought about how cats see color. Some experts believe that cats only see shades of blue and gray, while others believe they can also see shades of yellow. I have read humans see vivid hues, cats see only pastels.
The next burning question is how do cats see in the dark? The rod cells handle light and movement. Cats have as much as eight times more of them than do humans, therefore they can distinguish objects in the dark more easily. Rod cells also allow cats to detect small movements from a great distance, which helps to catch that sneaky mouse.
A cat’s elliptical eye shape helps to catch more light through dilation. You may wonder why a cat’s eyes shine at night. It’s because of the tapetum, an iridescent film under the retina.
The last bit of information that I found intriguing is the cat’s vision. While humans ideally have 20/20 vision and can see 20 feet away, the cat has 20/100 to 20/200, making him nearsighted.
Of course, these are just a few facts about a cat’s eye. Below, please find some websites from which I have gleaned the above information.
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