See Like Animals Open the tool
Menu

Cat vision: the science and the numbers

Felis catus · order Carnivora · Mammals: all the numbers

Cats have 2 colour receptor classes (450 and 555 nm): mainly blues and yellows; reds and greens look alike.[1] Their sharpest vision resolves 8.8 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[5][6][7] Both eyes see the same 112.5° in front of them; a reflective layer (tapetum) helps in dim light.[8][9]

See it on your photoBack to How do cats see?
  • 2colour receptor classesMeasured
  • 8.8cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured
  • 112.5°seen by both eyesMeasured
  • 75hertz flicker fusion (motion)Measured*

The cat (Felis catus) is a mammal in the order Carnivora. Its eyes belong to the vision type Night-hunting cat: two cone types, a rod-rich retina with a reflective layer for dim light, and a wide zone seen by both eyes. Measured in this species: colour, sharpness, field of view, foveas, night vision and motion (flicker fusion). Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What cats see: colour receptors

Cat colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmCat: 2 receptor peaks at 450, 555 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Cat: 450, 555 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has two colour receptor classes (a dichromat): reds and greens fall on one axis, as in red-green colour blindness in people.
  • Its sharpest vision resolves 8.8 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • Both eyes see the same 112.5° in front of it (binocular overlap), where depth is judged best.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 75 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks about 1.3 times slower to it.[25][26]
  • Activity pattern: cathemeral.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the cat (Felis catus), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
2 receptor classes: 450 nm (SWS (blue)), 555 nm (LWS (long))
measured in this species
Measured[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[1][2][3][4]
SharpnessAcuity
8.8 cycles per degree
median of 3 behavioural rows (method priority rule)
Measured[5][6][7]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[6][7]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
112.5°
median of 2 rows (eyes-at-rest rows preferred)
Measured[8][9]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[8][9]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[10]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[10]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[8][9]
Total field of view
250°
median species-v1 total field of order Carnivora: Canis familiaris
Group default[11]
Blind area behind the head
110°		Group default[11]
Eye placement
frontal
frontal if binocular overlap >= 60 deg, else lateral
Derived[8][9]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
0
fovea_present / area_centralis_type (retinal topography; count 1 = fovea present, 0 = none)
Measured[12]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[12]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[12]
Fovea type
area centralis, horizontal streak		Measured[12]
Night visionActivity pattern
cathemeral
mode of 8 rows (of 8 rows): cathemeral; cathemeral (polyphasic); mesopic; nocturnal
Measured (not re-verified)[13][14][15][16][1][17][18][7]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[13][15][16][1][19][20][17][18]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[14][21]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[22]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[13][15][16][1][19][20][17][18]
Pupil shape
vertical		Measured[14]
Reflective layer (tapetum)
yes		Measured[23]
Rods vs cones
mixed
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[13][14][15][16][1][17][18][7]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
75 Hz
median of 1 bright-light rows (behavioural/whole-eye ERG rows; all rows: [55.0, 75.0])
Measured (not re-verified)[24]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[25][26]

All mammals side by side: Mammals: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Longcore 2023
  2. Kirwan
  3. Müller et al. 2009
  4. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  5. Caves et al. 2024
  6. Kirk et al. 2004
  7. Veilleux et al. 2014
  8. Heesy 2004
  9. Heffner et al. 1992
  10. Campbell & Green 1965
  11. Miller & Murphy 1995
  12. Kopania et al. 2025
  13. Anderson et al. 2017
  14. Banks et al. 2015
  15. Borges et al. 2018
  16. Wilman et al. 2014
  17. Schmitz et al. 2011
  18. Moura et al. 2024
  19. Maor et al. 2017
  20. Jones et al. 2009
  21. Cervino et al. 2021
  22. Guareschi et al. 2025
  23. Schwab et al. 2002
  24. Lafitte et al. 2022
  25. Healy et al. 2013
  26. Inger et al. 2014

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.