Have you ever wondered if your pet sees in color? Physically, dogs and cats have the parts in their eyes (rods, cones and retinas) that make color vision take place, but the parts are set up a little differently than in the human eye.

So while cats and dogs can indeed tell one color from another, what they see is more likely a diluted version of what we see. Dogs in particular see more shades of gray than individual colors.

Cats, however, can concentrate small amounts of light in their eyes, and this allows them to see well at night. This special talent gives them excellent night hunting abilities.

Both cats and dogs more than compensate for their dull color vision with an exceptional sense of smell. Dogs are estimated to smell over 600 times better than people!

Published 09/25/09