If you have ever seen your cat roaming around at night, you might have contemplated: can cats perceive in the dark? Their eyes even appear to glow like tiny flashlights when caught in a beam of light. In this blog post, we will examine precisely how proficiently our feline companions can see during the night. We will investigate what makes their vision unique, whether or not cats can see in complete darkness, and how their eyesight compares to ours. The answer is intriguing — cats possess remarkable nocturnal vision, although they do require at least a bit of light to see. Let us illuminate this fascinating inquiry in a manner that is comprehensible for everyone, from children to adults.

Why Do Cats See Better at Night?

Cats are crepuscular animals, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk rather than in the absolute darkness of night; during these low-light periods of the day, cats thrive. Over millions of years, their eyes have evolved distinctive characteristics to assist them in hunting and navigating in low-visibility conditions. These traits provide cats with significantly enhanced nocturnal vision compared to humans. Here are the primary reasons why cats can see so remarkably when it is dark: 

Increased Rod Cells for Night Vision disposable dog diapers for female dogs

The retina at the back of the eye contains photoreceptors of two main types: rods and cones. Rods are effective in low light, detecting light and motion but not color. Cones perceive color and fine detail but require bright light. Cats have evolved to possess a substantially greater number of rods and fewer cones in their eyes compared to humans. In fact, approximately 96% of the light-sensing cells in a cat’s eyes are rods (around 4% are cones), whereas human eyes comprise about 80% rods and 20% cones.

This significant rod density makes cats particularly sensitive to faint light. Therefore, in a dimly lit room or under moonlight outside, a cat’s eyes detect far more subtle light signals than our eyes do. Furthermore, the elongated rods provide cats with improved peripheral vision and motion detection — advantageous for spotting a scurrying mouse in near-darkness. The trade-off is that cats do not perceive colors as vividly as we do; however, in terms of seeing in the dark, those rod cells are a significant advantage.

The Tapetum Lucidum: Nature’s Nocturnal Vision Enhancer

A cat’s eyes shine brightly at night due to the tapetum lucidum — a reflective layer located at the back of the retina that redirects light back, giving cats a second opportunity to see in low-light environments.
Felines' eyes exhibit a distinctive reflective structure known as the tapetum lucidum, located behind the retina. When light enters the eye, it traverses the retina where photoreceptors endeavor to capture it. Any light that is not initially absorbed reaches the tapetum, which reflects the light back onto the retina for a second opportunity for absorption. This effectively amplifies the potential for the rods to detect the light.