Learn How a Cat's Eyes Work and If Cats Can See in the Dark

Ever wondered how a cat's eye works? It isn't too hard to understand feline vision if you break down each component of the eye. Here is a detailed description of how cats' eyes work.

A cat's eyes is different than a humans eyes although they share some of the same basic structure. That's because cats are nocturnal pets. Cats eyes are designed to see well in the dark.

A cat eye pupil expands larger than a human eye. This allows cats to see in darkness. Cats can't see in complete darkness though. When the eye pupil expands, it allows more light into the eye. This gives cats a chance to use whatever light is available to see. As a result, the increased light in a cat's pupil makes it more difficult for cats to make out details at a distance in the dark.

Cats don't have a good depth of field. A cat's pupil becomes a vertical slit when it contracts instead of saying round like a human eye. The benefit of a cat having slit pupils is that the cat's eye pupil can change size faster than a humans eye. The downside to a cat's slit eye is that it makes it hard to get perfect focus within their vision.

A cat's eye has a bigger eye lens than a humans eye. This also allows the cat to see by using as much light as there is available. Having a large cat eye lens makes it more difficult to see things close up. On the other hand, having a larger lens makes it easier for the cat to see things at a long distance with adequate light.

Cats also have large retinas. With both humans and cats, the eye retina is a tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. It is a light sensitive tissue. Cats have no fovea in their retina. A fovea is a pit in the retina that's gives humans their sharp central vision. Instead, cats have a central band called the visual streak.

The larger the retina is the better it is for a cat or human to see the image in front of them. A cat's large retina allows them to see things much larger than humans see things.

Cats also have poorer color vision than humans. A cat's eye vision regarding color is the equivalent to a human that is colorblind. Cats can see blue colors the best, but are confused about the colors red and brown and all of the shades in between.

Overall based on the factors of a cat's pupils, lenses and retinas, cats have poorer vision than humans.

Sources: Cat's Eyes, In a Cat's Eyes, Cat Health