To make things worse, there is man-made brightness added to many whites in order to make them look more attractive to us humans. These brighteners allow items to soak in more light from the UV spectrum. This only increases the glowing effect for cats. When buying items for your kitty such as a pet carrier, avoid white all together. The glow will only add to their anxiety when it comes to a car ride or a trip to the vet or kennel.
What Colors Do Cats Like or Are They in Fact Color Blind?
Have you ever thought about what colors your cat actually sees? Or have you ever wondered if they have a favorite color? Maybe you have found yourself in the pet isle at your favorite store, staring at all of the cat toys, wondering which color they would like the most. They might enjoy the bright red mouse, or they might want something in blue. Possibly the yellow fuzzy ball with silver strands in it would be best.
Understanding exactly what colors cats see and how their vision works can help you solve this dilemma. In fact, a little knowledge on how they perceive colors can make it easier for you to keep your kitty calm and happy.
What Colors Do Cats See?
Science used to tell us that our cats were dichromatic. In other words, we believed they could only see two colors. This is not exactly true. They can see blue-violet shades as well as greenish yellow colors. Most felines tend to like blue the best. This is due to the fact that this is the color they see most clearly. The rest of the world has a dull gray tint to it. Think of what a colorized picture looks like when they use a pop of color in a black and white photo for dramatic effect.
This doesn’t mean that all your cat can identify are blue and yellow colors. Some other colors are distinguishable as being different, but those colors simply look like off shades. When they look at something colorful, their eyes can pick up on the colors they do see, which can be hidden to the rest of us. For example, what we see as purple will appear blue to them.
To understand this, think about how the color purple is made. Purple is created by mixing equal parts red and blue. Since cats can’t see red, their eyes will tune in on the blue portion. When a cat sees yellow, it would appear more greenish to them. Again, this is due to how yellow is created. On the other hand, red doesn’t contain blue or green, so cats will see this color as gray. In general, the colors cats do see are less vibrant than what humans see.
Are Cats Color Blind?
Cats are primarily red-green color blind. This is called deuteranomaly or protanomaly. With these types of color blindness, your cat will have trouble telling the difference between red, brown, orange and purple.
Cats photoreceptors are the most sensitive to wavelengths that fall between the blue-violet and green-yellow ranges. They may be able to see some green too, but this doesn’t mean their vision is inadequate when compared to ours. In fact, quite the opposite is true. What they lack in recognizing colors, they make up for in many other ways. For starters, they have a much broader visual field than humans. They have a 200 degree visual range when ours is only 180 degrees.
Another perk to feline vision is their ability to see in the dark. They have excellent night vision when compared to ours. They require 20% less light than we do to see. This is due to the photoreceptors found in their retina.
We have cone and rod cells. Cone cells allow us to see detail and many vibrant colors. The rod cells let us see quite well in dim lighting. Cats also have these cells, but they are more effective than ours. They allow their vision to refresh quicker than ours too. These specialized cells also give them the added benefit of being able to pick up on rapid movements. These perks come in handy when they are in the wild, chasing their prey.
What makes a color so “colorful?”
Color is discerned by the nerve cells in the eye. The retina of the eye has two main types of cells–rods and cones. The ability to differentiate colors is determined by the presence of the special color sensitive cells called “cones.” Human and feline eyes have three types of cones that can identify combinations of red, blue, and green. But because humans have 10 times more cones than cats do, humans appreciate more color variations than cats. In scientific observations, cats do not appear to perceive the full range of colors that humans can. Some scientists believe that cats see only blue and gray, while others think they see also see yellow like their canine counterparts.
Just because cats do not appreciate the entire spectrum of color that humans do, that does not mean they are unable to perceive different colors. They just may not see the “true” color of an object. They are also less sensitive to changes in brightness, so they do not have the ability to perceive color in the rich, vibrant tones that we do.
In addition to color perception, felines and humans have other visual differences. In some respects, feline vision is not as acute as human vision. Cats are more near-sighted than we are. When looking at an object from the same distance, the object may appear crisp to us, but blurred to our cats. For example, if a human sees an object clearly from a distance of 100 feet, it will appear blurry to a cat. In fact, the object will not appear sharp until the cat is much closer to it, about 20 feet away.
What are other visual differences between cats and people?
To compensate for these minor deficiencies, felines have other visual advantages. Cats have eyes that are set more on the sides of the head, which allows them a broader range of peripheral vision than we have. The trade-off is a smaller range of visual acuity so cats do not have the depth perception that we do.
Also, cats have elliptical pupils that dilate maximally, allowing them to capture as much light as possible. They also have reflective cells under the retina, which form the tapetum. The tapetum gives cats the “shiny eye” appearance and also improve a cat’s ability to see in dim light.
“When compared to humans, cats see better in dim light (dusk and dawn) and more accurately detect motion.”
Cats also have more rod cells in the retina than their human friends. Rods are responsible for detecting motion, even small movements at great distances. So, when compared to humans, cats see better in dim light (dusk and dawn) and more accurately detect motion.
Why do cats see what they see?
Cats are equipped with the visual accommodations that allow them to survive and thrive in the wild. Seeing well in dim light and picking up slight movements in the forest at great distances improve the cat’s hunting ability. These assets also help a cat know when he is the prey and needs to flee.
Knowing how and what your cat can see will help you make good choices for him. For example, you should keep your cat’s color range in mind when shopping for toys. He will enjoy yellow and blue toys more than red ones. And you’ll understand why he suddenly becomes alert while sitting on the windowsill as he hones in on a bird flying 50 yards away. You’ll also know that to get his complete attention, you should stand directly in front of him where his range of visual acuity is greatest.
“Your cat will enjoy yellow and blue toys more than red ones.”
And the next time you are lucky enough to be graced with a rainbow in the sky, rest assured that your cat can enjoy it, too. He won’t see ALL the colors of the rainbow, but he may see a bit of yellow and blue. And that will be just fine for him!
