Laser pointers, bright fluffy toys, and shiny crinkle balls. All of these toys include intense colors, but they might not be taking advantage of what a cat actually sees. If you live with a furry kitty you know that cats adore chasing, pouncing, and catching all sorts of things. Their ability to catch that annoying fly or grab your ankles just as you are getting out of bed is instinctual. But selecting a favorite toy because it's red is not something a cat was born to do.
While cats do not see as many colors as we humans do, they do have an amazing ability to notice small, fast movements with a much wider view. They also are uniquely equipped to see in the dark, making them excellent nighttime hunters.
What Is Color Blindness?
Color blindness has nothing to with the ability to see, but instead refers to the ability (or lack thereof) to distinguish colors. It's not uncommon for a person to be unable to distinguish the color red from the color green. Other people find it difficult—after an injury or illness in the eye—to notice shades of colors or to compare colors. This is Cats do not have a deficiency of the eye itself.
Humans and cats both have two types of color receptors in their eyes: cones and rods. The cones handle vision during the day and color perception. Rods tackle what can be seen at night and the ability to see from side to side and all around (peripheral vision). Each cone detects the and so can generally detect the whole spectrum of light. Cats have just two cones, which limits the spectrum of light they can see.
Can Cats See Color?
Our feline friends can see some colors, but are there particular colors that can cats see best? Cats' two color-detecting cones let them see blue-violet and yellow-green , cats mainly see things in shades of yellow, gray, and blue tinges, but some researchers think that cats may also notice some shades of green.
So that laser pointer you relentlessly tease your cat with ( please!) is not a great option for playtime. Your cat likely does not pick up on how bright that red is, and instead sees just the fast, bouncing movement of the light. Not to mention it's frustrating for them to endlessly chase an uncatchable target.
How Do We Know Cats Aren’t Color Blind?
We can't just ask a cat what colors inspire them, but we do know cat are unique creatures with amazing eyes! Recent research shows interesting discoveries of all the incredible things a cat's eyes can do and see. Some studies have included , giving us a glimpse of what a cat's sight is actually like. There have also beeninvolving the use of food and color panels to test if animals, like cats, can detect colors. The animal can pick one color over another to get a food reward.