Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: Karen W. on 22/11/2007 22:02:41

Title: Do Cats see in color, and if so are there any reported cases of color blindness?
Post by: Karen W. on 22/11/2007 22:02:41

Well I was just curious and they say curiosity killed the cat so I feel safe in asking such a silly Question, but know that I am ok here! LOL

Well what do you think?

Title: Do Cats see in color, and if so are there any reported cases of color blindness?
Post by: Carol-A on 23/11/2007 08:30:24

http://kittyshow.com/x_cat_vision_night.htm

This looked good Karen!

Title: Do Cats see in color, and if so are there any reported cases of color blindness?
Post by: another_someone on 23/11/2007 13:22:57

Quote from: Carol-A on 23/11/2007 08:30:24

http://kittyshow.com/x_cat_vision_night.htm

This looked good Karen!

That is interesting (about the change in number of rods and cones) - makes sense, but what is interesting is that I tend to have fairly good low light vision (not claiming to be on par with cats), am fairly sensitive to motion, but not very colour concious.  Does this mean that my eyes, like that of cats, have disproportionately more rods than cones - had not thought about it, but I suppose it makes sense (explains why I am a naturally nocturnal animal, and why I prefer cooler (higher colour temperature) lights - since rods work best in blue light).

Title: Do Cats see in color, and if so are there any reported cases of color blindness?
Post by: SquarishTriangle on 23/11/2007 13:35:57

Colour blindness... reminds me of my Year 8 Science textbook in which there was a picture of a green dotty circle with the number "29" in the middle in red dots, followed by "What number do you see?"

Turn the page upside down and it says "Answer: A person with normal colour vision should see the number 8. In a form of colour blindness, a person cannot see the number 8"...Uhuh? They even wrote the "8" bit twice. Apparently the entire class was colour blind.

Title: Do Cats see in color, and if so are there any reported cases of color blindness?
Post by: Karen W. on 23/11/2007 15:03:59

Quote from: Carol-A on 23/11/2007 08:30:24

http://kittyshow.com/x_cat_vision_night.htm

This looked good Karen!

Thank you Carol, that is interesting information! I know so very little about eyes and how they work. So thank you for the specifics!

Title: Do Cats see in color, and if so are there any reported cases of color blindness?
Post by: Karen W. on 23/11/2007 15:08:24

Quote from: another_someone on 23/11/2007 13:22:57

Quote from: Carol-A on 23/11/2007 08:30:24

http://kittyshow.com/x_cat_vision_night.htm

This looked good Karen!

That is interesting (about the change in number of rods and cones) - makes sense, but what is interesting is that I tend to have fairly good low light vision (not claiming to be on par with cats), am fairly sensitive to motion, but not very colour concious.  Does this mean that my eyes, like that of cats, have disproportionately more rods than cones - had not thought about it, but I suppose it makes sense (explains why I am a naturally nocturnal animal, and why I prefer cooler (higher colour temperature) lights - since rods work best in blue light).

Thats rather interesting too George. I have lousy night vision and should not drive at night.. I actually dislike it because I can't see well even after eyeball adjustment to the darkness it is just black. We have very few lights here at night so when it gets dark it is pretty dark ... oh you can look from here to way over in town and see the glow in their sky, but here it is pitch black and starry skied ..It is hard for me to move around outside at night because I cannot see so I must rely on memory or a big flashlight which I rarely can find around here in operating order! LOL!