What Do We Know About Night Vision In Cats?
Felines tend to be more active at night than during the day. This is due to their hunting instincts as they can see in very low light. In the following article we will tell you everything you need to know about night vision in cats.
How is night vision in cats?
At first glance we can see that cat eyes are different from ours. Their pupils are elliptical in shape and oriented vertically. They can be opened more than the round ones of humans, therefore, they allow a greater entrance of light through them. That is why night vision in cats is superior to that of other beings, such as dogs.
On the other hand, we must emphasize that feline eyes contain a membrane called Tapetum Lucidum. It is a layer of tissue located at the back of the eyeballs and reflects light rays so that they reach the retina without problems. That is why we see that his eyes glow in the dark! It is nothing less than the light reflected off the Tapetum.
In addition, the retina of felines is designed to see also in low light conditions because it is made up of more rods than cones. The former are more effective in terms of light absorption. The latter are responsible for absorbing colors (this ability is more limited in cats than in humans, since they see blue and purple tones better than red ones).
All these characteristics inherent to felines in general and cats in particular work together to be able to send a signal from the nerve of the retina to the brain, regardless of the darkness.
What happens during the day?
Now that you know about night vision in cats, you may be wondering what happens when there is full light or sun. But don’t worry, because your pet won’t go blind or anything like that. Like us, the pupils of cats can also close or open depending on the brightness or clarity of the environment. If there is a lot of light, they contract until they are just a vertical line. As it gets dark, they open up.
The most interesting thing of all is that they do not need to close their eyelids completely when they have full light in front of their face. The cat’s eye system is like a partially sliding curtain. In bright sunshine, it minimizes the opening of the retina without losing sight of it.
What else to know about the vision of cats?
Really the eyes of the felines are fascinating. They are so different from humans! Among the curiosities of cat vision we find:
1. They have a greater visual field
People can see up to a 180 ° angle. Cats have the ability to look up to 200 ° without moving their head.
2. Come better at night
It is said that they have 8 times more developed sight than humans because they do not need the same amount of light as we do to see at night. Although they cannot see in absolute darkness, they can take in the low luminosity of the environment, for example, if the light of the moon or a street lamp passes through the window.
3. They perceive movement
Cat eyes are a widely used tool to provide food. They can tell when a small object or animal is moving nearby. To react, the movement must be fast, because otherwise they consider it as something static.
4. They look good in medium distance
Felines have an optimal field of vision between 3 and 6 meters. Beyond this distance, they have myopia, and before 300 cm hyperopia.
5. Come blurry during the day
In very bright situations, cats’ eyesight is not so good, although they have their methods of blocking the clarity. Images during the day are somewhat blurry.
