The Cat’s Eye! Better To See You With, My Dear!

Cat’s eyesight is amazing!  They see 6 times better than humans!

Under total darkness, cat’s don’t see better than you or I, but under dim light conditions, they can see much better than do we.  The cornea, pupil hole and lens of th cat’s eye are pretty big and the cat eye processes light more efficiently.  Their eyes also contain more “rods” than “cones” than the human eye, which favors night vision.

We see 210 degrees, while a cat has a 285 degree field of vision because the eyeball of a cat is shorter and rounder than that of a human, which gives it a wider field of vision.  This “binocular” like field of vision, common to both eyes, of about 130 degrees, versus 120 degrees for humans, enables them to judge distances more accurately than people.

Have you noticed how your cat eyes seem to glow in the dark?  That’s because of their “tapetum lucidum,” a light reflecting mechanism behind the retina.  Almost eery, isn’t it?

A cat also has 3 eyelids, the 3rd being the “nicitating” membrane, thin whitish tissue that lies at the inside corner of the eyes.  When a human can see the cat’s membrane, it is usually a sign that the cat is ailing. 

Staring at cats provokes them and is an act of aggression.  It’s not a funny way to treat a cat, though I have read a recent blog about a cat owner who tormented their cat often using stares, among other things.

I was not amused and told them about it!  Some people do not deserve to be cat or any other kind of animal owner.  Have some respect, if you don’t like them, at least leave them alone! 

A cat, however, can stare at another cat for extended periods of time, not necessarily resulting in a fight, but hopefully, a “draw.”  They also like to “hypnotize” their prey.  However, my cat stares at me, but it’s in an adoring way…she’s quite addicted to me and it’s written all over her purring face.

We belong to a mutual admiration society… my baby and me.

-Sassy’s Mom.