Can Cats See in The Dark? Cat Night Vision Facts
Can Cats See in The Dark? Did your cat suddenly start moving erratically in the dark when you woke up around midnight? Just like me, you may have enjoyed the great pleasure of hearing your cat hissing loudly at a supernatural being outside the window when you woke up in the middle of the night.
If you’re reading this, you undoubtedly want to know if cats can see in the dark. Yes, that is the answer to this query but this is conditional. Cats have excellent night vision and can see in virtually dim light. In the complete absence of light, cats cannot see in the dark. Find out why in this article.
Can Cats See in The Dark? Are cats nocturnal animals?
Animals that spend most of their time awake at night are known as nocturnal species. These animals possess a unique trait called night vision that enables them to see in the dark. No, cats are not nocturnal animals. Even when they can see at night, they do not qualify as nocturnal animals. Here’s why.
Instead of being nocturnal, cats are actually crepuscular. Crepuscular animals are active both during the day and at dusk. Nocturnal animals, however, are most active at night. Many cats sleep all day and save their fun kitty activities for the wee hours of the morning. It is therefore reasonable to assume that your cat is a nocturnal animal.
However, when we examine more closely the times when their activity peaks, we typically find that the mornings and nights are the times with the maximum activity. Even though it seems odd to us, your cat’s resting cycle is a well-designed trait that evolution has polished to assist its wild predecessors to become successful hunters.
Our beloved cats have kept the same sleeping routine despite the fact that they are obviously not the wild animals that their ancestors once were. More intriguingly, some felines have learned to adapt to how humans typically sleep, refuting the notion that cats are nocturnal. To put it simply, cats are not night creatures.
Cat eye Versus human Eye | Major Difference
The retina is the main structural distinction between the cat eye and the human eye. Every eye’s retina is made up of cells known as photoreceptors. What are photoreceptors used for?
Photoreceptors are image-forming cells in the eye. They are a particular variety of neuroepithelial cells that are located in the retina of the eye. In the early phases of the vision mechanism, a process known as phototransduction, these cells are in charge of absorbing light and transforming it into an electrical signal.
The retina’s photoreceptors are divided into two groups and given names based on their physical morphologies. While cone cells are capable of detecting a broad range of light photons and are responsible for colour vision, rod cells are very sensitive to light and are involved in night vision.
This suggests that cats see better at night than humans do because they have more rod cells than cone cells. Humans’ weaker night vision is due to the abundance of cone cells in their bodies.
Cats have a high concentration of rod cells, which is also the reason they cannot distinguish between all colours. The majority of colours are not recognized by cats, despite the fact that they do recognize a handful.
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