Are cats really red-green color-blind?Can they actually not see the color red at all?The bright rainbow of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple you see—for a cat, is it really just a blurred mosaic of blues, grays, and greens?So, what colors can cats actually see?And which colors do they like the most?
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How Are Our Eyes Different from a Cat’s Eyes?
They’re very different.Different functions.Humans are omnivores. Our ancestors didn’t just hunt—they also needed to gather plants and berries during the daytime when light was bright. So for us, being able to identify food by color is extremely important.But wild cats mainly hunt at dusk or later, when lighting is dim. They don’t rely on color to locate their prey. Instead, their vision is optimized for night vision and tracking moving objects. Because of this difference in evolutionary needs, cats and humans developed very different color perception abilities.Different photoreceptor cells.Both humans and cats have two types of photoreceptor cells in their retinas: cones and rods.Cones detect bright light and color.Rods detect low-light stimuli.Humans usually have three types of cone cells, which allow us to perceive a wide range of colors formed by three primary hues. Our visible light range spans roughly 400–780 nm.Cats, however, have only two types of cone cells (some researchers suggest a possible third type, but rarely). Their visible wavelength range is narrower—about 450–556 nm.This limited range means cats struggle to distinguish longer wavelengths like red. They may only perceive it based on brightness, not as an actual “red.”(But yes—cats can distinguish between “red” and “green,” because green comes in many brightness levels.)At the same time, the number of cone cells is drastically different:Cats: ~26,000 cones per mm²Humans: ~146,000 cones per mm²Because cats have far fewer cones, the colors they see have much lower saturation than what humans see.
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What Do Colors Look Like Through a Cat’s Eyes?
Researchers speculate that the colors we see might appear like this to cats:In the same scene, the differences between human vision and cat vision may include:No perception of long wavelengths like orange and red.Lower saturation in blues and greens.These are the biggest differences in how humans and cats perceive color.So in daily life…Your Dior, YSL, Armani, Tom Ford lipstick shades—tomato red, chili red, vintage red, oxblood—to your cat, they may all look like different shades of pickle green.And it’s not just your fiery red lipstick—
Human skin tone is also partially influenced by red wavelengths.In Nickolay Lamm’s illustrations of “the world through cat vision,” everyone ends up with a built-in Hulk-green filter.One can’t help but wonder:How do cats feel when they see “a glowing green giant with green lips rushing toward them for a kiss”? -
Cats Also Have Another Unique Vision Feature
While it sounds like a pity that cats can’t see red, researchers believe cats may see something humans can’t—ultraviolet light.According to Ron Douglas, a biologist at City University London who examined the eyes of many animals, species such as hedgehogs, dogs, cats, and ferrets have lenses that allow UV light to pass through.However, scientists still don’t know what UV light looks like to cats, since humans simply can’t perceive it.What the world truly looks like in a cat’s eyes is still something science has yet to fully uncover.
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What Colors Do Cats Like Most?
For cat parents, the most practical reason to know what colors cats can see is simple:What color toys should we buy?Once we understand what cats can see, the next question becomes:
Which colors do they prefer?Do cats prefer red?There are currently two opinions.The classic one says:“Cats are carnivores, meat is red, so cats should be sensitive to red—and red must be their favorite color!”But as mentioned earlier, cats don’t actually perceive true “red.”And during hunting, color becomes even less important. A cat’s superior sense of smell and hearing matter far more.So the “cats love red” claim isn’t very convincing.Blue and green are likely their favorites.Researchers including Lynn Buzhardt believe cats prefer the colors they can see most clearly—blue and green.They argue that when cats look at red—which their cone cells can’t process—they only see a gray shadow, which lacks stimulation and is unlikely to be appealing.Both theories have merit, but unfortunately, no rigorous scientific experiment has yet been conducted to confirm cats’ true color preferences.
Cat parents can prioritize red, blue, and green when picking out toys in daily life. As for which color your cat actually prefers, that’s something you’ll need to observe slowly through everyday interactions.If new research comes out in the future, I’ll be sure to share the latest findings with everyone.Well, that’s all for today’s chat—see you next time!
