Is the world seen through cat’s eyes the same as the world seen through human eyes?

When we play with cats, what we like to look at most is their big, bright eyes, which are like two gems.

So when we and the cat look at the same place, does the cat see the same thing as we do?

Of course...No!

The biggest difference between human and cat vision lies in the retina, the layer of soft tissue at the back of the eye that contains light-sensitive cells.

Photoreceptor cells are divided into two types: rods and cones.

Rods are responsible for night vision and visual range; cones are responsible for day vision and color perception.

Photoreceptor cells can convert light into electrical signals, which are then processed by nerve cells in the brain and converted into visual signals, which are the images we see in our eyes.

Field of view

Cats have a 200° field of vision compared to the average human field of vision of 180°, so they can see more than we can.

(The above is what the human eye sees, the below is what the cat's eye sees)

It's a bit like the smartphones we use, an 18:9 phone can display more content on the left and right sides than a 16:9 phone.

Visual acuity

That is, vision. Ordinary people can see clearly objects 30 to 60 meters away, but cats can only see objects about 6 meters away.

(The above is what the human eye sees, the below is what the cat's eye sees)

This is because cats lack the muscles necessary to adjust the lens of the eye, similar to human myopia, so some people say that cats are born with myopia.

Color Vision

This is also the biggest difference between the world seen by humans and cats.

(The above is what the human eye sees, the below is what the cat's eye sees)

This is closely related to the cone cells we mentioned earlier.

Humans have three types of cone cells, namely red, green and blue, which are the three primary colors we are familiar with. By mixing these three colors, we can see more colors.

Cats also have cones, but their vision is similar to color blindness. Cats can only see blue and green, and red appears greener in their eyes.

(The above is what the human eye sees, the below is what the cat's eye sees)

Likewise, cats cannot see richer colors and higher color saturation.

(The above is what the human eye sees, the below is what the cat's eye sees)

Having said so much, I feel so pitiful for the cat. It can’t see far and it doesn’t have a colorful world.

But the Creator is fair. Cats have an ability that humans cannot have, and that is night vision.

(The above is what the human eye sees, the below is what the cat's eye sees)

This is because cats have a much higher concentration of rods than humans.

The rod cells in the retina are very sensitive to dim light, so cats' night vision is six times that of humans.

(The above is what the human eye sees, the below is what the cat's eye sees)

Also, when you see cats at night, you will find that the cats' eyes glow in the dark.

Behind the cat's retina, there is a layer of tapetum lucidum, and the cells in the tapetum lucidum are like a mirror.

When light passes through the rods and cones and reaches the tapetum lucidum, some of the light is reflected, so the cat's eyes appear to glow in the dark.