Les chats sont-ils daltoniens ?
The vision of our pets and the way they perceive and interpret the world around them is full of myths, especially the vision of cats, some people say they have super powers and almost an x-ray vision with a laser look, others On the contrary, they believe that they only see well at night, in black and white, that is why at Mirringo we help you dispel some myths and get closer to how your feline companion sees the world.
People often say that the eyes are the window to the soul and this also applies to your cat, since our eyes and theirs work in a very similar way, their pupil, which is the dark central part of the eye, becomes small when there is a lot of light and it expands when the light is reduced, exactly the same as in humans, however, thanks to years of evolution as fearless hunters, their gaze holds some tricks.
For instance; The eyes of cats have a wider visual field than that of people, while we see around us 180 degrees they can see 200 degrees. Another characteristic feature is his large and striking eyes that evolved not only to soften but to adapt to his need to hunt and prolong this activity until long hours at night, this effort caused his eyes to increase in size compared to the dimension of his head.
3 myths about cat vision
1. Cats see in absolute darkness:
this is completely untrue, while cats orient themselves very well in the dark and even their best hunts are at dusk, they cannot see in absolute darkness and need at least one beam of light to activate their night vision.
In the twilight the pupils of cats expand to allow all available light in the environment to pass through, this travels towards a mirror-like layer called Tapetum that helps reflect more light towards the retina, allowing them to see up to 50 % more light compared to people.
But that characteristic of night hunters does not give them the super power of seeing in the dark, so when you and your cat are in the dark, call or look for him because he could be very scared and disoriented.
2. Cats are color blind:
This is not entirely false, cats have a reduced ability to recognize all colors and their tones, because they do not have the saturation of colors that people see. Cats see colors as if they were behind foggy glass that obscures hues and colors.
Inside the eyes of cats and humans are a group of light-sensitive cells called photoreceptors, these in turn are divided into two types: some are responsible for detecting light and the others identify colors. In the cat’s eyes, there is a higher concentration of cells that detect light, which allows them to see better in the dark, compared to people who have a greater number of cells that detect color and tones, but we have poor vision. nocturnal.
3. Cats have sharp vision:
this statement depends on the distance, that is, people can see at a distance between 30 to 60 meters, while cats only see 6 or 8 meters away, beyond that range they are not able to focus their eyes, which would put them in danger if they go out and come across a car at high speed. But in their range of sight, less than 6 meters their vision allows them to capture and follow prey with ease, which makes them experienced hunters in hunting rodents.
The vision of cats is very special and a very important sense for their predatory nature, it is essential that your cat has a diet with an optimal level of Taurine since this amino acid is essential for their visual health, especially in the function of the retina A diet low in this component causes the men brane of the retina to suffer alterations and at some time it could cause irreversible blindness. Therefore, give Mirringo a complete, balanced concentrate, rich in Taurine and with all the nutrients and vitamins it needs to maintain healthy vision.