Can Cats See in the Dark in Cincinnati, OH?

As a cat owner, you may find yourself wondering if your cat can see in the dark. You might have even heard that cats are capable of seeing much better in the dark than humans or even better than other animals. But how much of this is true? Can your cat really see in the dark in Cincinnati, OH?

In the article below, you’ll find out more information about whether or not cats can truly see in the dark. You can use this information to brush up on your cat’s overall biology and understand your feline friend better than ever before.

With that said, however, cats can certainly see much better in low lighting conditions than humans can. They are capable of noticing movement from far away and only need about one sixth the amount of light a human needs to see at night.

How Does a Cat Use Light in His Environment to See?

Cats have a large lens in their eye structures, which helps them absorb more light in low lighting situations than humans can. They also have pupils that can constrict to near slits when there is a lot of light present, or can expand to become extremely large when there isn’t much light available.

All of these functions together make it easier for your cat to see in the dark.

Humans have more cones in their eyes than cats, which means humans can see more colors than cats can. However, cats have more rods than humans. This means that cats can see movement more easily than humans can, and that their vision is best in times of dim lighting.

For this reason, it’s better to say that cats see differently than humans in the dark–not necessarily that they see better.

Do Cats See the Same Up Close as They Do Far Away?

They do not! Cats are nearsighted, meaning that their close-up vision is better than their far away vision. They can detect movement from a long distance away, but they cannot make out specifics unless objects are close to them. This is the same both at night and in the daytime.

Since cats’ eyes are positioned differently on their heads than humans’ eyes are, they have more peripheral vision than humans do. This makes it easier for them to pay attention to their surroundings and hunt their prey. Their peripheral vision does not change during the day or night, but remains the same all the time.

Do Cats See Colors, at Night or Otherwise?

Cats can see some colors, but they do not have the same range of color vision as humans do. This is because, as previously discussed, cats do not have as many cones in their eyes as humans. They can see colors in the spectrum of green and blue more easily than they can see other colors.

Although they can see red, it is very difficult for them to tell the difference between shades of red or pink.

Cats may also see more washed-out or grayed-out colors than humans do. Although it can be difficult to imagine, your cat’s color vision is vastly different from your own, and this is the same whether it’s dark or light outside.

Aren’t Cats Nocturnal?

Not really. Most people mistakenly believe cats are nocturnal because they can be seen hunting and stalking prey at night. However, they are actually crepuscular, which means they are awake and active at dawn and dusk. This works well for cats, because most of their favorite kinds of prey are also crepuscular, so they’re awake at prime hunting hours.

Since cats aren’t nocturnal, they don’t really have to have the same night vision as a true nocturnal animal would. This is one of the many reasons why cats have evolved to see the way they do.

As you can see, there’s a lot to learn about the way cats see–both in the dark and not! Although cats cannot specifically see in the dark better than humans or any other animal, they are capable of seeing differently than we do in low lighting conditions. Because of this, your cat may seem like he can see better at night than you can.

Our Animal Hospital in Cincinnati Knows About Cats Seeing in the Dark

If you have any further questions about your cat’s body functions or overall wellness, our animal hospital in Cincinnati, OH, can help! Give us a call at (513) 531-7117.