What Colors Can Cats See?

Cats primarily see shades of blue and green and they don’t distinguish reds and oranges very well. However, their excellent night vision and whiskers make up for that!

Jul 14, 2024byMonika Dimitrovska

what colors can cats see

 

I always thought cats had super vision and could see us in colors that we couldn’t even perceive. Turns out, I couldn’t have been further from the truth.

 

Cats, like humans, have a trichromatic vision, but the way we see is very different from they do. Cats can see colors, that’s for sure. However, their color vision is limited.

 

Experts suggest that felines can perceive blues and greens just fine but can’t really tell shades of red and pink. So, what colors can cats see? Let’s find out!

 

Cat Vision Explained

cat blue eyes black background
Image credit: Pacto Visual from Unsplash

 

While cats have a special nose and their eyesight is superior to ours in some ways, it falls short in many aspects. Here’s a breakdown of cat vision.

 

1. Kittens aren’t born with open eyes

 

Kittens enter life with closed eyes, which gradually open over 2-16 days. However, their vision isn’t great initially because:

  • The fluid in their eyes isn’t clear for about four weeks.
  • The brain’s visual cortex needs time and experience to function properly.

Like humans, cats have binocular vision, but it takes time and experience for kittens to develop the ability to bring the two images together. This is crucial for judging distance and timing a pounce to catch prey.

 

By around the 5th week, kittens have developed the necessary cells and experiences similar to adult cats.

 

2. Most kittens have blue eyes

young kitten blue eyes
Image credit: Pexels from Pixabay

 

Kittens usually have blue eyes at birth, which gradually change color as they develop pigment in their iris. It can take up to 3 months for their eye color to fully change.

3. Did you know that cats have a third eyelid?

 

Cats, like dogs, have a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane, which protects their eyes and helps spread tears across the eye. This eyelid is usually only visible when a cat is sleepy, sedated, or sick, and it’s one of the things dogs and cats have in common.

 

Note: Certain diseases and allergies can cause watery eyes in cats or even make their third eyelid more noticeable. If you notice any warning signs of disease, schedule a vet checkup.

 

4. Rods and cones

 

Cats have mainly rod cells in their eyes, and they’re responsible for black-and-white vision in dim light and helping with motion detection. Additionally, they have fewer cone cells than humans, which control color vision in bright light.

 

5. Colors

cat looking up
Image credit: Jez Timms from Unsplash

 

Cats aren’t colorblind, but their vision isn’t as vibrant as ours. As mentioned, they have fewer cone cells than humans and may perceive colors differently, with blue-violet hues being most noticeable to them.

Although cats can distinguish some colors, it’s not as important to them as other factors like brightness, pattern, shape, or size, especially since they’re crepuscular hunters.

 

UV light

 

There’s evidence suggesting that cats can see in the ultraviolet light range, which may help them detect urine markings and follow trails.

Now, that’s something I wasn’t expecting to find out while researching cat vision. Having UV vision definitely compensates for their inability to perceive certain colors.

 

Pupils

 

Cats’ pupils dilate significantly in low light to improve vision, and they have vertical slits in bright light to protect their retinas from excessive light.

Additionally, cats have a reflective layer behind their retinas called the tapetum lucidum, which enhances their vision in low light conditions by 40%.

 

Near-sightedness

 

Cats can’t see distant objects as clearly as humans. They’re near-sighted and rely on their sensitive whiskers to tell the distance, direction, and placement of objects around them.

 

Hunting vision

 

Cats have a wider field of vision and better peripheral vision than humans, which helps them detect moving prey. They see differently from us, focusing more on movement and changes around them.

 

What Colors Can Cats See?

cat face closeup
Image credit: Kevin Knezic from Unsplash

 

Cats mainly see shades of blue-violet and yellow-green. Surprisingly, they can’t recognize red, orange, or brown. And I say surprisingly because we all know how much cats enjoy chasing red dots; they’re natural predators and see the dot as moving prey.

 

Although they can’t see red laser pointers, they can still detect the dot’s movement. This is similar to how people with red-green colorblindness see red as green.

 

So, when choosing toys for your furry friend, go for blues and yellows. If you’re on a budget, consider DIY cat toys that don’t take much time and money to make.

 

Keep in mind that laser pointers can harm your cat’s vision if used improperly. If you still haven’t bought a laser pointer for your cat, choose one made for cats, and never point it at their eyes.

 

What Does a Cat’s Vision Look Like?

cat blue eyes resting
Image credit: Josh Couch from Unsplash

 

If you could live a day in a cat’s life and see through their eyes, you’d notice things looking a bit dull and blurry. That means that anything farther than about 20 feet would be out of focus because cats have a smaller range of clear vision than humans.

 

In other words, they need to be much closer to objects to see them sharply. For example, if a human with perfect vision could see a thing clearly from 150 feet away, a cat would need to be within 20 feet to see it just as clearly.

 

However, cats have a wider field of view than we do; they can see things a bit behind them as well. Additionally, both house cats and big cats excel in low light because their pupils expand wider to let in more light.

 

But overall, they’re nearsighted, meaning they can’t see far-off objects in detail like we can. While cats may not see far, their sharp focus on nearby objects helps them hunt by distinguishing prey from everything else.

 

Conclusion

kitten playing with flower
Image credit: Dim Hou from Unsplash

 

While cats can perceive some colors, their color vision differs from ours.

 

Most experts suggest that felines can see shades of blue-violet and yellow-green, but they can’t recognize hues of red, orange, and brown. Despite their limited color vision, these solitary animals excel in night vision and detecting motion.

Monika Dimitrovska
byMonika Dimitrovska

Monika is a pet enthusiast and seasoned copywriter with a tech degree. She loves writing, but her heart belongs to her two mixed dogs, Buba and Bono, a mother-son duo. Bono’s siblings found loving homes, sparking Monika’s advocacy for neutering and deepening her curiosity about animal care.\n\nBut Monika’s pet family doesn’t end there. She also has two cockatiels and two rescue cats, proving her home is a haven for creatures big and small.