Your
cat keeps staring at you and staring at other things. Those eyes look so
intense, and you're probably always wondering what's on its mind as it
continues to stare. But have you ever thought what your cat sees when it's
looking at you? We know that animals see things and colors a little different
from the way we do. So, what is a cat’s vision like? Let’s try and understand.
The retina has it all
The
most significant difference between a human eye and an animal's eye is the
retina. The retina is a layer of tissue at the back of the eye that contains
photoreceptor cells called rods and cones. The rods are responsible for
peripheral vision and night vision. They detect light and shades of gray. The
cones, on the other hand, are responsible for day vision and detecting color.
Cats have a high quantity of rod cells and lower number of cone cells. That is
why they can see well even at night, but their perception of color is different
from us.
Humans,
on the contrary, have more cone cells and fewer rod cells, giving us poor night
vision but a better perception of color. A cat's cone receptors can only
interpret colors in the shades of blue, gray, and yellow, according to
scientists. They cannot differentiate between reds and greens at all. New
research has suggested, though, that cats may be able to see certain colors
that the human eye can't- colors in the ultraviolet spectrum.
Near-sightedness
Though
cats may have excellent night vision and light detection abilities, cats cannot
see things that are too far away. Humans have a vision of 20/20, while cats
have 20/100 or 20/200. This means that something that a human may see clearly
from 100 feet away is not visible to a cat unless it is about 20 feet away from
the object. So, cats are near-sighted. Anything farther than their range of
vision appears blurry to them.
Cats
do have a slightly wider vision than humans, though. While our vision has a
field of 180 degrees, for cats, it is about 200 degree.
How
will knowing this help you?
Now
that you know what colors your cat can perceive and how far away it can see,
you can make better decisions for it. For instance, you now know that your cat
will respond better to blue and yellow colors so these are the colors you
should go for when buying toys for it.
You
also know now that to be visible and get its attention, you have to stand close
to your cat where it can see you better. You can also understand better when
your cat is startled or alarmed by something.
Knowing how your dear
kitty sees the world, gives you a better perspective too.