You may have often wondered why your cat’s eyes are mostly a straight vertical line during the day, then expand at night or when they’re feeling playful.

The tapetum is also why your cats’ eyes seem to glow when you take a photo of them with flash or see their eyes reflected by headlights. This layer of reflective tissue bounces light back to the sensory cells, allowing the retina to receive more than 50% of the light available. The high number of rods in cats’ eyes also mean that they can see better in dimmer light, but they don’t see as well as humans in bright light.Īs well as that, cats have a tapetum, which is a reflective layer of tissue that reflects light back to the retina. They possess a curved cornea and large lens, and in low light their pupils can dilate to full circles to allow in maximum light. However, they only need one-sixth of the amount of light that humans do and can see in very low light.Ĭats won’t be able to see in the dark, in the rare event that absolutely all light is blocked out, but their sight is much more advanced than that of humans for all of their night time adventures.Īccording to Catster, the reason cats’ night vision is so excellent is because of the intelligent design of their eyes. Where it’s been widely thought that cat’s have their own built-in set of night vision goggles, they actually require at least some level of light to see. So, if they’re not actually nocturnal, how good is cat’s night vision really? Keep reading to discover the secrets behind your four-legged friend’s intelligent eyes. This means that generally they’re more active around dawn and dusk.

These night-time antics pose the question: can cats see in the dark? Many people believe that felines are nocturnal and so can see in the dark perfectly, but it may surprise you to learn that cats are actually crepuscular. Many cat owners are familiar with being woken up with little gifts – such as a mouse or possibly even a sock – or the hyperactive run around the house many cats have in the middle of the night. Cats are notorious night owls, so we've long thought that they have excellent night vision, but is this actually true? Find out everything you need to know about your cat's night vision with our guide.Ĭats seem to do all of their best hunting at night.

A darkness darker than night