Did you know that cats are actually far-sighted? Here are 4 cool facts about your cat’s vision!
Cats are natural hunters, so they use their keen senses to help them zone in on prey. I’m sure you’ve noticed that your cats pupils change in size often, but have you ever wondered why? We know that dogs are color blind, but what about cats? Here are four cool facts about your cat’s vision.
A Cat’s Pupil
Similar to our pupils, a cat’s pupil will change in size depending on the amount of light that is hitting their eye. However, the difference is that they can expand their pupils by 135 fold while we can only expand ours by 15. This expansion gives cats the ability to see well in near-darkness. Their natural slit shaped pupils allow them to see well in both darkness and bright light. The shape of their pupil allows them to judge the distance between them and their prey.
Color Blindness
Cats have less cones than humans do and the ones they have aren’t as concentrated. They are not fully color blind, but their ability to see color is limited. It is believed that cats can see blues and yellows very well, but struggle with colors like reds and greens.
Total Darkness
Though cats can see a lot better than we can in near darkness, they can’t see in total darkness. They have more rods in their eyes, meaning they can detect a lot more light than we can. They also have a layer of tissue towards the back of their eyes that allows light to reflect in their eyes. This tissue is what makes their eyes shine in the dark.
Attention To Detail
Surprisingly, cats can’t see as much detail as we can. This is because of the fact that the amount of rods and cones that they have don’t balance out well, so they can’t see details very well. This means that they can’t see things like text in a book or the leaves on a tree. It is believed that cats are actually farsighted, seeing things better at a distance of a few feet rather than up close.
Contact Catonsville Cat Clinic Today!
For 20 years, the Catonsville Cat Clinic has been providing quality veterinary care to the cats of Catonsville and beyond! Dr. Pam Nesbitt, who purchased the practice in July of 2011, runs the Catonsville Cat Clinic with compassion in mind. A team of professionals with an advanced level of veterinary medicine is at your service to make sure your cat is healthy and happy. So stop on by; we’d love to get to know you and your cat!
For more updates and advice, be sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+! You can get in touch with the Catonsville Cat Clinic by giving us a call at 410-869-0800 or visiting our contact page.