Can cat's see in the dark?........Yes...and no....
While cats cannot see in complete darkness, they can still see much better than we can in semi-darkness. In fact, their ability to see at night is much better than most animals. Since cats are naturally nocturnal, their sharp eyes help them hunt and explore at night when the rest of the world is sleeping.
There are several reasons why cats can see so well in dim light:
* Cats have disproportionately large eyes for the size of their heads.
* Cat can open the irises of their eyes very wide, allowing them to let in as much light as possible.
* Animals have two major types of light-sensitive cells that make up their retinas. These two types of cells are called rods and cones. Rods magnify light, which helps animals see at night. Cats have many more than others. In human eyes, 4 out of 5 of the retina’s light sensitive cells are rods, but in a cat’s retinas a 25 out of 26 are rods.
* Cats also have a mirrored layer in the backs of their eyes called the tapetum lucid. This reflective area gives light a second chance to hit the retina’s light sensitive rods.
* Your cat’s whiskers, which are very sensitive, are able to pick up the slightest changes in the environment.
While cats are incredible animals with a truly impressive ability to see in dim light, we can do a great injustice to them when we don’t respect their limitations. Because of the belief that cats can see in the dark, many well-meaning cat parents hide litter boxes away in dark closets. With no light source, the extra rods in your cat’s eyes have nothing to magnify and will keep her just as blind as you’d be in the closet.