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Posted by on May 22, 2015 in TellMeWhy |

Can Cats See Colors?

Can Cats See Colors?

Can Cats See Colors? A cat’s vision is similar to a human who is color blind. Cats have a type of color blindness that some humans have, called deuteranopia. They can see shades of blue and green, but reds and pinks can be confusing. These may appear more green, while purple can look like another shade of blue. Cats are able to distinguish between blues and violets better than between colors near the red end of the spectrum.

Some say that cats cannot see colors, at least by human standards. What cats probably do see is the world in black and white and shades of gray. This is comparable to what we see when watching a color television program on a black-and-white television screen. Cats do most of their hunting at night, when the world is a shadowy and colorless place.

Being able to see colors is not important to cats in order to survive. A cat relies on its extremely sensitive hearing and directional ear movement to locate the general location of prey, then targets and captures the prey using its keen eyesight.

Cat vision is adapted to perceive the slightest of movement. This makes a cat one of the most successful hunters on land. Dogs are also colorblind, as are deer and most other wild animals that are active at night. Monkeys and birds see all the same colors as humans.

Content for this question contributed by John Hellesoe, resident of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, USA