Eye-catching cat eyes seem somewhat surprising. Bright green, blue, yellow, they are looking at us slyly, and many are just sure that cats see ghosts and brownies, and the Egyptians believed that these amazing animals communicate with the gods. How does a cat see the world around it? Does she really see in absolute darkness and distinguish only shades of gray? How does a cat react to bright objects? And is she able to see colors? This amazing animal is shrouded in many myths. Consider the basic physiological indicators of cats and cats and try to find out how these animals see.
Cat pupils
The first thing we pay attention to when looking into cat's eyes is the pupils. In the evening they are large and round, and on a sunny day they turn into thin strings. This is due to the fact that cats do not tolerate bright light. These small predators prefer to go hunting at night. In order to see the prey, the moonlight is enough for them.
But in the light of day the cat sees much worse: the bright sun's rays blind her. In order to pass as little light as possible, cat pupils narrow. In the sun, the cat often squints and prefers to just take a nap, because at sunny noon she sees everything blurry and fuzzy.
During hunting or in a state of excitement, a small predator dilates its pupils to better examine prey or danger, and an angry animal, on the contrary, narrows them to focus on the enemy.
Do cats see in the dark
In the dark, cat's eyes glow mysteriously, so earlier people believed that these animals perceive what is inaccessible to human eyes. To some extent, this is really true - mustached hunters see in the dark 10 times better than a person. Why are the cat's eyes glowing?
The vision of this animal due to the nocturnal lifestyle is significantly different from ours. On the back wall of the retina are special tissues, a kind of mirror that can reflect light on nerve endings. In the dark, the cat's pupil expands to catch as much light as possible. It is the light reflected from the retina that we see when we look at cat's eyes in the dark.
Contrary to popular belief, cats cannot see in absolute darkness. But in a well-known room, thanks to a developed sense of smell, good hearing and a mustache - vibrissae, animals are perfectly oriented even without a light source.
How far do cats see
Cats actively react to objects that are in motion. These small predators can notice a running mouse at a distance of 800 meters, clearly see objects at a distance of 60 meters. But the things located right under the nose, closer than half a meter, the cat sees poorly. You probably noticed that if you put something right next to the cat, then first of all it will begin to sniff it, receiving information through the sense of smell and touch.
For effective hunting, the animal does not need to see prey in detail. The main thing is to determine well the distance to the victim, the direction of her movement. And the cat’s vision is designed for just that.
The cat's organs of vision are located close to each other, which allows you to see the object with your left and right eye at the same time. Thanks to this, the animal can very accurately determine the shape and size of the prey. The viewing angle of a cat is wider than that of a person by 20 degrees, and they are much better seen in the horizontal plane.
25 shades of gray
Many people are interested in how a cat reacts to bright objects, because in nature its main prey is a plain gray mouse. It is precisely to distinguish and distinguish from the environment many shades of gray, and cat's vision is calculated. The question remains whether the animal still sees any colors.
What colors do cats see?
For a long time it was believed that animals see the world in black and white, so the question of how a cat reacts to bright objects was not raised. But modern scientists have carefully studied the structure of the cat's eye.
The nerve endings in the organs of vision are represented by two types - cones and rods. The sticks are responsible for the perception of light, and cones - the colors - blue, green and red. There are very few cones responsible for the perception of red in the cat's eye, so you can understand that animals can only distinguish between blue and green. But the rods in the cat's eye are many, which allows them to see well with a lack of light.
Cats do not see the difference between red and green, and perceive shades of blue as one color, but still they have color vision.
Cat Vision and Behavior
Owners are interested not only in how the animal reacts to bright objects. The cat often shows interest in the TV, but can she see the image on the screen? Scientists believe that a cat can only see flicker. However, researchers note that the animal can see movement. Indeed, many owners claim that their pets love to watch programs about animals, especially with hunting scenes.
Cats see themselves in the mirror perfectly. Many young animals, when they first see their reflection, take him for an opponent, and can even sneak up and attack.
And how do cats see their master? From a distance, they are able to recognize only a fuzzy silhouette, and the close face turns into a blurry spot. In close communication with the owner, the cat focuses primarily on smell.
How does a cat react to bright objects and toys? There are owners who claim that their pets prefer toys of certain colors. Most likely, this is an individual feature, and no regularity has been identified. Therefore, when buying toys you can safely be guided by your own taste.
What is the difference between cat vision and human
Yes, you can read about what cats see better in the dark, their viewing angle is wider and they perceive colors differently. But it is rather difficult to imagine. Fortunately, photographer and retoucher Nikolai Lamm decided to demonstrate how our favorites see the world. Thanks to a series of his photographs, we can easily find ourselves in a cat's skin. He contacted veterinarians and cat specialists, and with their help he was able to repeat the particularities of the animal's vision.
How to understand that a cat has vision problems
Cats are prone to various eye conditions. An attentive owner should be wary if the animal rubs its face with its paws, often blinks, avoids bright light, eyes become dim, tears flow, pus appears in the corners, and eyelids swell. This is an occasion to consult a veterinarian. The most common eye disease in cats is conjunctivitis. Especially often it affects street animals.
There are really serious problems. A cat may begin to lose sight, simply go blind, but this is not immediately noticeable. Even a completely blind animal can navigate well in the house. How to determine vision loss?
Firstly, the cat stops jumping up to his favorite places - tall lockers, shelves, or does it awkwardly, misses, falls. Secondly, she stumbles upon new or rearranged furniture. Thirdly, her pupils do not narrow even in bright sunshine. Fourth, she stops responding to her favorite toys. Finally, the animal does not look directly at you, if you turn to it, the look is defocused.
If you notice signs of visual impairment in your pet, contact your veterinarian immediately. Even if a cat is blinded, this is by no means a reason to refuse it. The pet will be able to live a full life if you follow several simple rules: do not let the animal out into the street, do not change the location of the bowls with food and tray for no particular reason.