Can Cats See in the Dark?

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Cats are notorious for their nighttime hunting adventures. It's not uncommon for cat owners to be awakened by unexpected "gifts" like mice or even socks, or witness their feline friends engaging in hyperactive dashes throughout the house during the wee hours.

This raises the question: Can cats see in the dark? While many people assume that cats are fully capable of seeing in complete darkness due to their nocturnal nature, it might surprise you to learn that cats are actually crepuscular. This means they are most active during the twilight hours around dawn and dusk.

Can cats see in the dark?

Contrary to popular belief, cats don't possess true night vision goggles. While they don't require as much light as humans do, they still need at least some level of illumination to see. Cats have an impressive ability to see in very low light conditions and can make use of one-sixth the amount of light that humans need.

Although cats cannot see in complete darkness if all light is blocked out, their vision is far more advanced than ours when it comes to their nocturnal escapades. They are well-equipped for navigating in dimly lit environments and conducting their nighttime adventures with relative ease.

 Their eyes are intelligently designed

Cats possess intelligently designed eyes that contribute to their excellent night vision. Their eyes have a curved cornea and large lens, allowing them to maximize the intake of light in low-light conditions. Their pupils can dilate to full circles, further enhancing their ability to gather light.

Unlike humans, cats have a different distribution of photoreceptors in their eyes. They have a higher number of rods, which are responsible for night vision, peripheral vision, and motion sensing. Humans, on the other hand, have more cones, enabling better color vision and daylight perception.

Cats also have a tapetum, a reflective layer of tissue behind the retina. This tapetum reflects light back to the sensory cells, allowing cats to utilize more than 50% of the available light. It's this reflective layer that gives their eyes a glowing appearance when exposed to flash or headlights.

The shape of a cat's pupils plays a role in their vision as well. During the day, their pupils are usually vertical slits, allowing them to focus and control the amount of light entering the eye. However, in darker conditions or when they're feeling playful, their pupils dilate, allowing more light to enter. While this expands their ability to see in low light, it also causes their vision to become blurrier. Cats can experience a much larger range of pupil dilation compared to humans, enabling them to adapt to varying light levels more effectively.

Although cats have superior night vision, they are near-sighted and struggle with focusing on distant objects. Their visual acuity is limited compared to humans, but they compensate for this with a wider field of vision of about 200 degrees, surpassing the human field of vision of 180 degrees. Cats excel at detecting subtle movements, changes in light, and have better peripheral vision, which helps them spot small shadows and movements like those of a scurrying mouse.

 How cats see the world

Now that you're familiar with the secrets of cat's night vision, you might be curious about how your feline friend actually perceives the world. In 2013, artist Nickolay Lamm created a series of images to illustrate the differences between human and cat vision.

These images reveal some interesting insights. Cats have a wider field of view, allowing them to see more in their peripheral vision. However, their color vision is somewhat limited compared to humans. Cats primarily see in shades of blue and green, while red and pink colors can be confusing to them. Additionally, the colors they perceive appear less vibrant and saturated compared to how humans see them.

So now you have a glimpse into how cats see the world. While their night vision may not be as extraordinary as often believed, their eyes are still incredibly remarkable and contribute to their prowess as skilled hunters.