How Can Cats See in the Dark?

Cat owners who treat their furry friends as babies might want to leave a light open for their cats so that their cats can see in the night but there is no need for that. Cats are among the animals that have superior visions in the dark. The cat owner might have realized that when there is a source of light directed at their cats' eyeballs, the eyes of the cat sort of glows. The glowing in the cats' eyes when a light is directed at them is due to a layer of tissue in most vertebrates called tapetum lucidum. In short, either outdoors or indoors, cats can see perfectly in any amount of light. Although it is said that cats can see in any amount of light, it doesn't necessarily mean that cats can see in absolute darkness. While some people might include cats in the list of nocturnal animals, cats are crepuscular animals, in other words, they sleep all day and release their energy at dawn and dusk. (The picture below demonstrates the difference between human and feline vision.)

When one dwells on the subject of how can cats see in the dark, one can elaborately look at the way cats' eyes work. Cats have much lower rodes per single cone in each of their eyes compared to human beings so they are not good at seeing colors as human beings are. This disadvantage is beneficial for them since this leads them to be able to see in much more dark places that human eyes cannot see. The cat owners might have also noticed the pupil of their cats is very flexible. This specific ability of the cats can also add to the fact that they have great vision in the dark. Thanks to the retroreflector characteristic of the tapetum lucidum, cats can see in low-light conditions as the light reflects the retina, allowing them to have adjustable eyesight in a range of light conditions.