Similar World Views: Dogs vs. Cats Perception

Long ago, we learned that dogs, like us, are not immune to color blindness. Cats, too, perceive colors differently from us. But what does their world look like through their eyes? How does it differ from our own?

The World Through a Dog's Eyes

Dogs are not entirely colorblind; they have excellent vision, but they are color deficient. Their eyes have fewer cone cells than humans, which means the colors they see are not as rich and vibrant as ours.

According to veterinary ophthalmologists, the colors dogs perceive are somewhat akin to those seen by redgreen colorblind individuals.

Dogs have receptors for blue and green light, but lack those for red. However, they can easily distinguish between various shades of blue, yellow, and gray.

This means that dogs essentially see the world in shades of yellow, blue, and gray. They perceive green, yellow, and orange as yellow, purple, and blue as blue, and see bluegreen as gray.

The World Through a Cat's Eyes

Some people believe that cats, like dogs, are also colorblind. This is a misconception. Cats do have cone cells and can distinguish colors, albeit a more limited range.

Cats can only discern purple, blue, green, and yellow. Red, orange, and brown are invisible to them, appearing instead as shades of black and gray. The colors they see are less saturated, making them seem less vivid and lively than what we perceive.

Human eyes have photoreceptors that capture light, divided into two types: rod cells for night vision and cone cells for daytime vision.

Cats have a high number of rod cells in their retinas, which allow them to differentiate between shades of gray even in low light.

Additionally, the retina of a cat has a reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum, which reflects light back through the rod cells, enabling them to see clearly even in very dim light.

Cats also have elliptical pupils instead of circular ones, which allows for faster dilation and constriction and lets in more light. This is why cats have exceptional night vision.

While cats and dogs may not see the world with the same array of colors as we do, they possess supersensitive senses of smell and extraordinary night vision in low light. In contrast, our sense of smell and night vision pale in comparison to theirs!