Curiosities About The Eyes Of Cats

As they say, the eyes are the mirror of the soul, but when it comes to cats they can tell us much more than that. Here are some curiosities about the eyes of cats.

They can see in the dark

There is a lot that is said out there about cats, for example  they cannot see in absolute darkness, however the rooms or exteriors in which a little light filters will allow them to see in the dark. This is because the eyes of cats are very large in relation to their head (in fact they are mammals with the largest eyes in relation to their body) and the convex shape of the cornea allows a greater entry of light.

In addition, the cat, like us, can dilate the pupil when it is in the dark, but this dilation is much greater than that of humans. Likewise, in the light-sensitive cells of its retina, the cat has a greater number of rods than humans, which is why the eyes are sometimes affected by excess light.

View your genetic material

Something that we can tell just by looking at the cat’s eyes and fur is its genetic makeup. For example, the gene that produces the blue color in the eyes and the type of short coat, as well as the characteristic color, in Siamese cats (which is the Himalayan gene), is recessive, therefore both parents must carry it so that the puppies are passed on.

Likewise, completely white cats with blue eyes show the presence of the W gene, which also has the information on deafness. Depending on whether the cat has both blue eyes, one blue and one of another color or a color other than blue, the deafness of the animal will be present in greater or lesser intensity.

Cats speak with their eyes

Cats have a fairly developed body language and part of this language is evident in their eyes, you may have heard that winks are considered ” cat kisses “. Through their eyes, cats can express different states of mind, in addition to indicating when they are taking intimidating positions or when they want to calm an encounter that could end in confrontation.

For example, an unblinking gaze can be a threat and cats use it to discourage others from entering their territory as a warning. You can also determine his mood depending on how open his eyelids are and how dilated his pupils are, therefore a sudden level of excitement can cause your cat’s pupil to go from a circle that covers almost all of his iris to a small vertical line.

For the taste, the colors

The color of the eyes of cats is also a source of many curiosities, for example, all, absolutely all cats are born with blue eyes and over the months they will take on their permanent color. This is due to a maturation process of the iris and cornea, in the end, when the eye acquires its final color, the cat will also have its vision completely sharpened. Cats, like dogs or humans, can be born with one eye of one color and another of another, this condition is called heterochromia.

Selective focus

Something very curious that happens with cats is the level of concentration they can achieve. If you notice that a cat does not perceive your presence at all when something catches your attention, it is most likely that you are literally not seeing them. Cats, especially when hunting, selectively focus on their prey and lose sight of anything unrelated to it.

They can see in color

Unlike dogs, cats can see in color, especially the scale colors of green and blue. This is because in addition to the rods they also have cones in their retina, which are the cells that are responsible for discriminating colors, although they do not perceive them as clearly as we do.

They don’t need tabs

Or at least they don’t need them to lubricate their eyes, like we do. Cats have a third eyelid, which is actually a membrane that lines the eyeball and fulfills this function.