I bet you have heard the terms ‘fish-eye lens’ or ‘bird-eye lens’. But what about a ‘cat-eye lens’? Well, we never talk about how a cat sees the world. If you think deeply, this is interesting to know that your pet feline observes the world from a different view than us.
So, how do cats see the world or us? Can they detect color? How do felines watch TV shows? I know hundreds of questions are storming into your mind. Do not lose track of them because I will answer them all.
If you have the same questions in your head, then give this article a quick read.
How Do Cats See?
There is no doubt every cat parent loves the pet. But we really never invest our time thinking about their world. If you do, you will find out exciting facts about them.
Here are some of the top facts you must know:
8. Cat hunting vision
You might know that felines are quite an accurate hunter. All credit goes to their excellent eye vision. But have you ever thought about how they can detect the slightest movement of small animals?
Well, even though their peripheral vision is limited, the position of the eyes is their strong point. Their eyes are placed like humans. As a result, cats can determine the exact distance of the prey.
The strong vision and the determination of distance have made the cats successful hunters.
7. Wider vision
The visual field of a kitty is much wider than a human. This means the felines can see more of what is going on around. While humans can enjoy an average visual field of 180 degrees, cats can go for 200 degrees.
6. The retina of a cat’s eyes
When you ask me, “How do cats see?” You must know that the biggest difference between a cat’s vision and a human is hidden in the retina. The retina is the layer of tissue that is positioned at the back of the cat’s eyes.
The retina contains photoreceptor cells. These cells can convert the light into an eclectic signal. The nerve system processes the signal and sends it to the brain. And finally, we can see the image that is in front of us.
You will find two types of photoreceptor cells, such as rods and cones. The cones brighten our color vision and we can see better on days. On the other hand, the rods are responsible for the night vision.
Cats have more rods and fewer cones, while humans have more cone photoreceptors than rods.
5. Cat’s near sight vision
You might know that cats are nearsighted. It means the felines can see closer things much clearer than the objects far away. Well, even though this does not seem great to us, the near sight vision is a great advantage to the cats.
A human can see almost 100 to 200 feet (30 to 60 meters). But when it comes to cats, the limit is 20 feet (6 meters) or less. The felines do not have muscles to shape objects that are away from them.
The nearsighted vision helps the cat to detect the prey. So, hunting and capturing have become much easier for them.
4. How do cats see humans?
Well, I have faced this question more than once. And to be honest, I was a bit curious too. How do the cats see us?
A few years back, scientists had experimented with cats. The team tried to understand the psychology of a cat. The cats do not recognize people like us. Even there is a 50% chance that your cat remembers your face.
They recognize the owners or their loved ones by the smell, vocalization, and body language. However, the whole theory is not proven yet. You can not tell for sure how the felines see us or what is going on in their mind.
3. Spectrum vision of a cat
Have you ever wondered if the life of a feline is colorful or not? Or what colors do cats see? Or do cats see in black and white?
Okay, let me answer everything one by one. The cats can not detect all the colors in the world. The humans have 10 times more cones than the felines. This means we can experience more colors and lights.
However, both humans and cats are trichromats. It means they can experience red, blue, and green. But the light experience of the cats is not the same. Their world is not as bright as ours.
However, cats can detect some more colors. But they can get confused between similar colors, like pink and red. Many people think cats can only see things in black and white. This is not true.
Yes, they see the world in grey shades. But there are some actual colors. Experts claim that the felines are biologically unable to see the rainbow. This is why some people tag the felines as colorblind.
2. Eye activity
Here I am indicating the sharpness of a cat’s eyes. Do they see everything as clear as we do?
I have answered the question before. They can not see everything clearly. They can only detect objects that are in 20 feet radius. Everything beyond this radius will become vague to them.
1. Tv for cats
I am sure you have observed your cats watching TV shows. Do they really enjoy them? What do they actually see there?
The answer is, yes, cats can watch TV. They were not compatible with the analog TV screen. But modern TVs are different and the felines can watch the shows on it. However, the kitties do not experience all the colors on the TV. The screen is less bright and more blurry to them.
How do cats see the world? I hope you have got your answer. The way the felines see the world is very different from us, yet the facts are interesting.
Related:
How To Introduce Cats To Each Other With 5 Effective Steps
