Your cat cannot see in absolute darkness but she can see much better than most animals in partial darkness. Her eyes have features to help gather light. This provides an important advantage to help cats hunt at dusk and dawn when the light is low. Your cat’s eyes are very large in comparison to her head and her irises open very wide, which helps gather even more light. Light-sensitive cells known as rods are found on the retina. Your cat has a higher proportion of rods on her retinas than humans and most animals. She also has a tapetum lucidum, which is an area in the back of her eyes that highly reflective. Some animals who need to see well at night have a tapetum lucidum such as deer or raccoon. You can see this reflective area when the eyes glow when caught in a car’s headlights. Contact your veterinarian San Antonio, TX to learn more.
