Are Cats Color Blind? The Answer Isn't Black and White

cat — Cats don't exactly have night vision, but they can see well in dim light. Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images

Have you ever wondered: Are cats color blind? The answer isn’t black and white — but it is mostly gray. (See what we did there?)

While cats aren't totally color blind, their color vision is limited compared to that of humans.

To understand cat vision, we need to explore how their eyes differ from ours. The light-sensitive part of the eye contains specialized cells called rod cells and cone cells. Rods detect light and motion, while cones enable color perception.

How Cats See the World

Close-up of a cat — Cats' eyes aren't built the same as humans'. Nata Serenko / Getty Images

Cats see fewer colors than humans because they have fewer cone cells than we do.

While humans have three types of cones that detect red, green and blue, cats can see mainly blue, gray, and some shades of yellow. This makes them red-green color blind, similar to humans who have red-green color blindness.

So, if you toss a yellow ball, your cat may recognize it. But they may have difficulty distinguishing it from a red one. They likely can’t differentiate between colors like red and green with any precision.

Better in Low Light

Cats’ eyes work best in dim conditions. With more rod cells and a reflective layer behind the retina, they can see in low light much better than humans.

That’s why cats live as excellent hunters, especially at dawn and dusk.

While human vision prioritizes color variations and sharp vision, feline vision excels at detecting motion in the dark. Cats need only one-sixth the amount of light humans do to see well.

3 Other Visual Perks

Cats eyes are wide-set, giving them a wider field of view for hunting
They may see some ultraviolet light, adding a slightly different range to their visual range
Their depth perception isn’t as sharp but they’re masters at sensing motion

Are Cats Totally Color Blind?

Ironically, cats can't see their own vivid eye colors very well. Anita Kot / Getty Images

No, cats' color blindness doesn’t mean they see only black and white. But their limited color vision means they see the world with fewer hues and a lot more gray.

Like dogs, which also have reduced color ranges, cats may perceive blue-violet, yellow and even some green to some extent.

So while they can’t enjoy the full spectrum like we do, they still experience a world rich in light, movement and shadow.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.