There are no blacks and whites in cats’ vision. Here’s the truth about cats seeing color, as well as how their vision differs from ours.
Cats and dogs have a lot going on that is different from our lives, as we know. Even though we are likely aware that cats don’t see the world the way we do, we may have wondered, “Can cats see color? (As well as dogs, of course.)
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Can cats see color?
Cats certainly don’t see the world in black and white. “Cats see in color, but they cannot distinguish between colors the same way humans can,” explains Michelle Lugones, DVM, a veterinarian with Best Friends Animal Society. Their eyes’ biology, specifically the cone photopigments, plays a role in this. As part of the eye’s photoreceptor cells, these pigments convert light into signals. Having only two cone photopigments, humans see colors differently than cats because they have three cone photopigments.
What colors can cats see?
What is the best way to describe it? According to Lugones, their vision is similar to that of colorblind individuals. Business Insider says that they can’t tell the difference between reds, greens, and yellows. Instead, they see muted colors, with blues, yellows, and greens dominating the scene. The reason cats are afraid of cucumbers has something to do with green.
Cats’ eyesight is still incredibly sharp
You might think that cats’ eyesight is worse than ours since they can’t see all the colors humans can-but that’s not true at all. In other areas, they compensate for what they lack in color distinction. Cats are better at seeing depth than humans, which helps them hunt and track prey instinctively.