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Do cats see in color? Not as well as we do. It is not possible to see well in the dark and have excellent color vision. However, cats do not see everything in shades of gray. Cats can be trained to distinguish between some colors, such as blue and green. It just seems that they have little interest in doing so! Part of the reason cats see better at night than humans is that they have more rods and fewer cones in their eyes than we do. However, since cones are the structures that enable mammals to see color, cats do not see color as well as we do. Look at the two pictures below to see the difference between how a cat might see color and how most humans see color. |
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While no one can know exactly how a cat sees color, one thing all researchers agree on is that cats definitely do not see color the same way we do. Cats probably see things somewhat like a person who is red/green color-blind. Reds appear dark, and greens appear somewhat lighter and duller.
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Produced by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. © Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Foundation This page was made possible by a grant from Friskies PetCare Company and the National Science Foundation. All photographic images contained within these Web pages ARE COPYRIGHTED and may not be reproduced or utilized in any manner without the express written consent of the owner. Original photographs by Julie Pfaffinger, modified by Jim Angus © Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Foundation Page design by Jim Angus |