Are cats colour blind?

Can cats see colour or are they completely colour blind? Here’s everything you need to know about your cat’s eyesight.

---

When your cat plays with a new toy or explores your garden, do you ever wonder if they can see the same colours as you? While cats’ vision is quite different from ours, it’s likely they can see some colours, just not the way we can.

How cats’ eyes are different from humans’ eyes

Take one look at your cat’s eyes and you’ll see they’re very different from our own. Cats’ eyes are adapted to low-light conditions, with a large cornea, a slit-shaped pupil that expands far more than a human’s, and a reflective inner layer known as the tapetum lucidum, which is why cats’ eyes appear so bright when light shines into them in the dark.

Despite these differences, human and cat eyes both contain photoreceptors known as rods and cones. Rods detect movement, help peripheral vision and work best in low-light conditions. Cones detect colours and function best in daylight.

Cats’ eyes contain eight times as many rod cells as human eyes, so it’s no surprise they can see better in the dark, detect small movements better than we can and have a wider field of vision. But their eyes contain fewer cone cells, suggesting they don’t see colours as vibrantly as humans do.

Are cats colour blind?

Cats are not colour blind, but they can’t see as many colours as humans.

Humans have what’s known as trichromatic vision, which means our eyes contain three different types of cone cells. As a result, we can see a wide range of colours within the visible light spectrum. For a long time, it was thought that cats had dichromatic vision, with only two types of cone cells. This is the same as dogs, who can see shades of blue and yellow, but not red and green.

Scientific studies show that cats may have what’s known as photopic trichromatic vision. This means they may have three types of cones, so can see in all shades of red, green, blue and yellow, but perhaps in more muted tones than humans. But, even with research, we still don’t know exactly how cats perceive the world.

What colours can cats see?

Most research so far suggests that cats’ eyes pick up colours in the blue-violet and yellow-green wavelengths best.

That means they probably don’t see reds and greens in quite the same way we do. So, can cats see in colour? Yes, but the way they see these colours may be similar to a person with red-green colour-blindness. In the future, there might be further research that tells us more about how cats see colours.

Do all cats see the same way?

The anatomy of all cats’ eyes is the same, so they all see colours in the same way. To them, green objects like a lawn probably look a muted grey-green, and the reds and pinks of toys, flowers or furniture appear grey or light brown.

Do cats have favourite colours?

Ever wondered why your cat loves their bright yellow ball, but leaves the red one untouched? It’s probably because they can see yellows, blues and purples better than other colours.

Researchers believe most cats’ favourite colour is blue, as it’s the colour they see most clearly. Cats also perceive yellowy-green hues well, so these could also be a favourite. Remember these colours when buying any new toys for your cat.

Cat eye health

To keep your cat’s eyes as healthy as possible, it’s a good idea to have them checked once a year. This can be done as part of their regular annual vet check.

Eye problems such as redness, cloudiness or weeping should always be treated as an emergency. If you have Petplan cat insurance, you can also use our free Pet Expert Chat service for 24/7 advice from vet professionals. Simply log into your My Petplan account and head to the My Support area to access.