What cats see

Cats see what we see except the color quality and the detail is less good but in the dark they see much better than us.

It is now believed that cats, rather than seeing a world that is gray, see the full color range. However, cats see red badly. The light sensitive cells in a cat's eyes are sensitive to blue and green but less sensitive to red. This is a type of dichromatic vision.

Cats have eyes that are eight times larger than ours in relation to head size. They are developed to see at dawn and dusk for hunting. The cat is crepuscular. In one sixth the level of light, the cat will see things at the same level of brightness as us. Only the detail is less good and the color quality also less good.

A cat's whiskers help feel in the dark. They are extremely sensitive and can detect air currents flowing around obstructions and objects. They are a form of sight. The whiskers can feel for the correct position on the nape of a prey's neck for precise insertion of the canine teeth to sever the vertebrae. In the dark this is highly efficient.

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