Cat Vision

Vision

Reflection of camera flash from the tapetum lucidum
Cats have excellent night vision and can see at only one-sixth the light level required for human vision.[62]:43 This is partly the

result of cat eyes having a tapetum lucidum, which reflects any light that passes through the retina back into the eye, thereby increasing the eye’s sensitivity to dim light.[72] Large pupils are an adaptation to dim light. The domestic cat has slit

pupils, which allow it to focus bright light without chromatic aberration.[73] At low light, a cat’s pupils expand to cover most of the exposed surface of its eyes.[74] However, the domestic cat has rather poor color vision and only two types of cone

cells, optimized for sensitivity to blue and yellowish green; its ability to distinguish between red and green is limited.[75] A response to middle wavelengths from a system other than the rod cells might be due to a third type of cone. However, this appears to be an adaptation to low light levels rather than representing true trichromatic vision.[76]