Imagine: it’s night, everything around is shrouded in darkness, and your cat fearlessly jumps around the room, skillfully bypassing the furniture and precisely landing exactly where you need. But why imagine it – every cat owner – feels it regularly every night on their skin))) Magic? Do cats really see in the dark like little superheroes?

How do cats see? What colors do cats see? How do cats see the world? Let’s find out together!

Eyes like real hunters

Cats are real night hunters. Their eyes are designed to catch even the smallest ray of light. Inside their eyes is a special “magic” layer – tapetum. It is like a mirror that reflects light back through the retina once again, giving the eye cells a second opportunity to catch it. This is why cats’ eyes sometimes glow in the dark when light, such as from a flashlight, falls on them.

Thanks to the tapetum and a large number of light-sensitive cells – sticks – cats can see in light that would seem quite insufficient to us. If a person needs something, say, a lamp, a cat will quietly do with the faint glow of the moon or even the light of a distant lantern.

But without light at all – no!

Despite all their superpowers, even cats can’t see in total darkness – where there is no light at all. Their eyes need at least a tiny ray to work. So in a completely dark room, a cat is more likely to rely on its other superpowers: its extremely sensitive whiskers, its fine hearing and its sense of smell.

A little experiment

Want to be sure? Turn off the lights in the room in the evening, leaving only a little light from the hallway or window. Observe the kitty: he will move freely, avoid obstacles and even look for his favorite toy. But if you cover the room with a thick blanket, shutting out even a small sliver of light, your cat will cautiously freeze or move much more cautiously.

What science says

Scientifically speaking, cats’ vision has real marvels of adaptation. Their eyes have far more rods – the cells that are responsible for sensing light and movement – than cones, which are responsible for colors. It is thanks to this structure that cats can see perfectly well in twilight or almost complete darkness, but they do not distinguish as many colors as humans.

Scientists have estimated that cats see six to seven times better than humans in low light! However, they perceive the world in more muted tones: bluish, green and grayish. Bright red or orange colors for them look quite different or not noticeable at all.

Another interesting discovery: a cat’s field of vision is wider than a human’s – about 200 degrees versus our 180 degrees. And although the visual acuity of cats is lower (they better see moving objects, not small details), but their ability to navigate in the dark and hunt at night is simply amazing.

Conclusion

Cats really see in the dark better than humans, because they can use even the smallest ray of light. Their eyes are a true miracle of nature! But in absolute darkness they are as “blind” as we are. So if it seems to you that your Tail – sees perfectly in the dark, know: it is not only his vision, but also the ability to listen, smell and feel the surrounding world with all his amazing body.

And the most important thing for the cat is to know that you are there – his favorite friend and protector, even in the darkest night!