You may have woken up in the night to your cat hissing and wondered if they can see in the dark. Rest assured, their nocturnal abilities are due to their wild ancestors.
While cats can see exceptionally well in dim lighting, they are not exclusively nocturnal animals (as some popular culture might have you believe). Cats are crepuscular creatures, which means they tend to be more active during dawn and dusk. In addition to excellent night vision, cats have other powerful senses that make them adept at nighttime exploration.
Can Cats Really See Better in the Dark?
Cats see in the dark because they have evolved differently than other animals. But this doesn’t mean they see better in the dark than they do during the day. People often think this is because cats are most active after twilight. But this doesn’t mean they would be able to do a good job if they had to search for and destroy something at night…they just don’t want you to know that.
How Does a Cat’s Night Vision Differ from Humans?
The retina is where you will find cells that react to light. These cells are called photoreceptors. There are two types of photoreceptors: rods and cones. Cones are important for seeing during the day because they can detect different colors. Rods help with seeing in the dark and also help us see things from the side (peripherally). Cats have a lot of rod receptors, but not as many cone receptors, when compared to humans.
“Remember that cats have a special layer in their eyes that helps them see in the dark. This is called the tapetum lucidum. Dogs also have this ability, which is why you might sometimes see a shine in their eyes when it’s dark,” says Alicen Tracey, DVM, veterinarian at Den Herder Veterinary Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa.
How Do Cats See the World?
Cats cannot see the array of pretty colors we humans can, but they can see some colors. Cats mostly see things in gray, tinges of blue and yellow, and possibly a bit of green. This lack of color detecting doesn’t stop them though. With their amazing eyesight, cats are especially good at detecting small movements and noticing fast details, even on moonless nights.
Have you ever wondered why your cat doesn’t seem to recognize you after getting a haircut or shaving off that mustache your wife hated? It could be because they can’t see things clearly up close. Interestingly, cats also see things that are far away more blurry than we do, but they have a wider field of vision overall.
In What Other Ways Cats ‘See’ Better?
In addition to their strikingly beautiful eyes, cats have developed some other extraordinary senses. Studies show that a cat’s sense of smell is up to fifteen times stronger than ours and may even exceed a dog’s acute smelling ability. Furthermore, this heightened sense of smell isn’t just from their cute button noses–cats have an organ in the roof of their mouths called the vomeronasal organ which allows them to taste and smell simultaneously at great depths. When a cat grimaces, licks something, or curls its lip while breathing in, it’s trying to get more information about the world around them.
Additionally, cats have very sensitive hearing and can locate where a sound is coming from accurately. With their large ears, they can pick up on quiet sounds from great distances–like the screech of a mouse or the buzzing of fly. Therefore, making them very good hunters.
Your kitty cat is an excellent hunter and should be kept safe indoors at night to protect both local wildlife and your porch from dead squishy things.
