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
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
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
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?
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?
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
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.
