Chasing Rainbows: What Colors Do Cats Like?
Have you ever wondered why your feline seems to be drawn to some colors over others?
Whether she sees a full range of colors like we do, or if her eyes process color differently?
If she prefers bright colors or muted tones?
Or if she even cares?
All fascinating questions, so let’s delve straight into this mysterious connection between felines and color.
How well do cats see?
We can start by looking at how cats see the world.
It’s no secret to cat owners that their feline charges have a secret superpower – their excellent night vision.
There are a number of reasons for this and it all comes down to the structure of cats’ eyes.
Rods and cones
The retinas* in cats’ eyes are densely packed with photoreceptor cells (called rods) that help animals see in low light.
So while we humans stumble around in the dark, our cats prowl effortlessly through the low light – especially at dawn and dusk. This is when, as crepuscular predators, they most like to hunt.
Rod cells are also responsible for detecting motion, including small movements at great distances.
As the feline retina contains more rod cells than the human retina, cats can detect even the slightest movement with remarkable accuracy.
At the same time, cats have a smaller number of color receptors (called cones) compared to humans, which means they see colors less vividly than we do.
Cats also have very sensitive hearing and a heightened sense of smell – which means they rely more on these other senses than humans.
Reflective layer
Cats have a reflective layer in their eyes (known as the tapetum lucidum) that reflects up to 130 times more light than the human eye.
The tapetum helps cats see better in dim lighting (with only one-seventh of the light that humans would require) by reflecting light back through the retina a second time. This makes things appear brighter and easier to see against a dark background.
It may also make darkened ground appear lighter – ideal for the effective hunting of prey.
Large cornea
Cats have large corneas which allow them to take in more light, giving them a distinct visual advantage when they’re out stalking and hunting prey.
Vertical pupils
Cats have vertically elongated pupils, which research shows is a common trait amongst “ambush predators” like cats themselves (Banks et al., 2015).
Vertical slit pupils are especially advantageous for predators, as they can help estimate distances and fully dilate to a greater extent than the typical round pupil.
Are cats colorblind?
According to veterinarian Ryan Llera, both cats and humans have three types of cones in their eyes – allowing them to differentiate between hues such as red, blue, and green.
But humans have 10 times the amount of cones cats do, allowing us to appreciate a much wider range of colors than our furry friends.
Biologists Kazilek and Cooper confirm that an animal equipped with cones will have some degree of color vision, but note that the challenge lies in deciphering which shades they can perceive – and how intensely those different colors appear to them.
So we can’t be entirely sure what cats and can’t see in terms of color.
Not to mention, like dogs, cats have “traded color vision, biologically speaking,” for enhanced night-time vision capabilities, according to Fear Free℠ Advisory Board member, Heather Lewis.
What colors do cats see?
Cats have trichromatic vision, which means they can see colors at the blue and violet end of the color spectrum the same as us. But they can’t see the red end of the human visible spectrum. (Lewis, 2022).
This may be because cats evolved to hunt in low light when colors at the red end of the spectrum are less visible.
Interestingly, dogs have dichromatic vision, meaning they cannot see anything much in the orange and red range of colors either.
Both cats and dogs see reds and oranges “in the dull gray range,” according to Pollard and Shoults (2019).
And because cats and dogs see “fewer and weaker colors [t]heir view of the world is made up of pastel colors.” (Kazilek & Cooper, 2022).
At the same time, both species can see slightly into the ultraviolet end of the spectrum.
This means any material containing phosphorous (or a whitening or brightening agent derived from phosphorous) will emit a small amount of light when a cat or dog looks at it.
“For example, a piece of paper is a glowing white object to a cat,” says Lewis.
What colors do cats like and why?
In terms of color perception, because they can see indigos, violets, and blues better than anything at the red end of the color spectrum, cats are more likely to prefer those specific colors.
What colors do cats dislike and why?
As we’ve already seen, white objects may be stressful for cats and the color gray appear dull.
Think about the traditional white coats worn by doctors and veterinarians for a moment. Then think about how your feline friend feels at the vet’s office – in a brightly lit room with white walls and a doctor wearing a white lab coat.
“If we are trying to create a low-stress medical experience for animals, it is likely best to dress veterinary doctors in colors that do not stand out,” says Lewis.
How does a cat’s vision compare to a human’s?
We’ve also noted that cats see better in the dark than we do and that they are capable of perceiving color – even if they don’t always see the same vivid hues that we do.
Here are some of the other differences between human vision and cat vision:
Brightness
Because cats are less sensitive to changes in brightness, their world can appear a little less vibrant than ours.
Near-sightedness
Our feline friends tend to be more near-sighted than we are, with a range of vision at about 20/100 to 20/200 (HandWiki, 2022).
In other words, while you might see a sharp object clearly from 100 feet away, the same object would appear blurry to your cat – at least until she got to a distance of about 20 feet.
That’s pretty much the difference in how far a cat’s eyes can focus compared to human eyes.
Eye location
Cats’ eyes are located more on the side of their heads than human eyes, giving them a wider field of vision.
This better peripheral vision comes in handy for an animal like the cat which is both predator and prey. However, it comes at a cost and cats have diminished depth perception as a result.
How to choose the right color toy for your cat
When it comes to picking out the perfect new toy for your furry feline, it’s worth considering how she sees color.
We’ve established that cats are less able to distinguish bright colors, such as red or orange. For this reason, if you want your cat to get the best out of a new toy, it might be better to opt for something a little more muted in color, like purple or blue.
While I’ve seen many cat (and dog) toys on the market that are a bright red color, in reality, it might be difficult for your furry friend to see a red toy all that clearly.
Bear this in mind next time you’re shopping for a new favorite toy for your kitty!
Cat-friendly colors at the vet’s office (or at home)
Even veterinary offices are now embracing cat-friendly tones for their interior decorating, choosing the different shades cats and dogs can see best.
Whether it’s wall paint, artwork, furniture fabrics, or decor pieces – there are plenty of ways to create an inviting ambiance sure to please any whiskered guest.
This can help reduce a cat’s stress levels at an already stressful time and provide, hopefully, a better all-around experience of her time at the vet’s office.
“One primary goal of your practice’s paint colors could be to create a sense of comfort and well-being,” say Pollard and Shoults.
They advise choosing “light color schemes that are centered on the blue, green, or violet end of the spectrum, or a scheme that is inspired by nature,” allowing animals to “perceive their environment well even when the lights are dimmed or off.”
For this reason, violet and blue hues are considered to be the most suitable shades to use in a veterinary setting since they appear more gentle and soothing than white or as lackluster as gray (Pollard & Shoults, 2019).
“A lighter space, painted in hues and tones that are brighter and more toward the blue end of the spectrum, will be more visually understandable to the animals,” agrees Lewis.
Final thoughts
All in all, cats have some quite amazing abilities when it comes to their vision – they can see in low light and are able to detect small, slight movements from far away.
Now you know what colors your cat can and cannot see, you can be more mindful when setting up her environment and selecting her cat toys and other items.
And if anyone ever asks you what is your cat’s favorite color, you can reliably answer that it’s blue. Or maybe purple. But definitely not white or red!
*The retina is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye – Wikipedia, 2022.
**Visual acuity is a measure of the ability of the eye to distinguish shapes and the details of objects at a given distance – Marsden et al., 2014.
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Resources
- 5 tips to quickly freshen up your practice with paint – Vicki J. Pollard & Ashley M. Shoults
- Cat senses – HandWiki
- Color Me Fear Free – Heather E. Lewis
- Do Cats See Color? – Ryan Llera
- Evolution of colour vision in mammals – Gerald H. Jacobs
- How Do You Know If an Animal Can See Color? – C.J. Kazilek & Kim Cooper
- How to measure distance visual acuity – Janet Marsden, Sue Stevens, & Anne Ebri
- Retina – Wikipedia
- Rods and Cones of the Human Eye – C.J. Kazilek & Kim Cooper
- The absolute threshold for vision in the cat – Ralph Gunter
- Vision in Animals – What do Dogs and Cats See? – Paul E. Miller, DVM
- Why Cats Have Vertical Pupils – Stephanie Pappas
- Why do animal eyes have pupils of different shapes? – Martin S. Banks, William W. Sprague, Jürgen Schmoll, Jared A. Q. Parnell, & Gordon D. Love
