Questions about feline vision, such as "can cats see in the dark?" or "can cats see colors?" are common among pet parents. Pets' eyesight is amazing and the way these animals see the world has a big impact on the feline's manners. One of the most striking behaviors is when the cat stands still looking at nothing. You may have already found your furry staring at a point in the sky.Some people believe that cats see spirits and that is the reason for this behaviour. But what does science say about this? Find out below!

Do cats see spirits? Understand what cats see when they stare into nothingness

The belief that cats see spirits is an old one and many people believe it to be true. It is very common to see cats staring into nothingness from one moment to the next, as if they were witnessing the presence of a ghost. But do cats see spirits? The answer is no. However, cats are actually seeing something we don't: ultraviolet rays.

Research by biologist Ronald Douglas and neuroscientist Glenn Jeffery published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society has found that some mammals see violet rays more sensitively than others. The structure of the human eye prevents a person from being able to see these rays, while the cat's eye, as the study shows, has the ability to see them. Whenwe see the cat looking into nothingness, it is not seeing spirits, but the ultraviolet rays that we do not see.

The way cats see ultraviolet rays makes their vision different from ours

The ability to visualize ultraviolet rays impacts the way cats see. Humans see colors in a solid form. When looking at a sheet of paper, for example, we visualize only the color white. Because cats see ultraviolet rays, they visualize different spots, marks, and textures that belong to those rays. So something simple for us, like a sheet of paperThis explains why they sometimes just stop to stare at nothing: they're actually seeing different spots and textures that we're unable to perceive.

To get an idea of how cats see, humans can do the experiment of putting black light in a room. By throwing this kind of light, we can see old stains on the sofa, details of dirt on the wall, among many other things that we do not normally see. However, cats see these marks all the time. A very old cat pee stain on the sofa that has been cleaned a long time agotime can still be visualized by the furry ones. As a certainty, the world is much more eye-catching in the cat's vision.

What can cats see?

Cats have great eyesight and are able to see almost the same things as humans. The exception is light: humans have three photoreceptor cells that pick up blue, red and green; while felines have only two, which pick up blue and red. That is, cats do not see green and its shades.

On the other hand, cats can see ultraviolet rays, which we can't see, so the cat looking "into nowhere" may be seeing these rays, which are imperceptible to human vision. It's also possible that the cat looking up is picking up the presence of an insect, for example.

One curiosity about how cats see the world is that their eyesight is not very good for long distances, so they see blurry and unfocused if they are far away (but this is "rewarded" with their other senses).

Why does my cat stare at me?

Sometimes we ask ourselves: why does the cat stare at me? And the truth is that there may be several answers. The cat looks at the owners when it wants to get attention or invite to play. It is also possible that the animal is hungry, and the kibble bowl is empty. If it is an "unknown" kitten, it may stare at someone out of curiosity or fear. If it is a fixed gaze, it is good to pay attention.caution: the animal may be preparing to attack.

For those who are curious about what black cat staring at you means, the "superstitious" answer indicates that when a black cat comes, stares at you, hisses something - like a growl or meow - and then leaves, it is a bad omen. However, this is just a myth: black cats are pure love and do not represent bad luck, as many believe.

Do cats see in the dark? Learn more about feline vision curiosities

You can see that the structure of the cat's eye is different from ours, right? The way cats see is quite different from ours and goes far beyond viewing ultraviolet rays. In both the human and the feline eye, there are two important structures: the cones, which are responsible for color perception and ensure daytime vision, and the rods, which act in peripheral vision andIn the human eye, cones are much more numerous than rods, while in cats the opposite is true, meaning that cats see in the dark more easily than we do, but perceive fewer colors. In addition to the fact that cats see in the dark very well, their peripheral vision is surprising. While the human eye can see up to 180°, cats can have peripheral vision.of 200°.

Cats see colors, but not in the same way humans do

While cats can see in the dark much more effectively than humans, their ability to perceive colors is much lower. The idea that cats see in black and white is incorrect, but their color spectrum is reduced. With fewer cones, cats have one fewer photoreceptor cell. As a result, cats cannot see shades of green. Therefore, cats seecolors, but do not see shades other than green. When viewing objects of this color, they are likely to see grayish tones.

What does the cat mean in the spirit world?

Cats, from a spiritual point of view, are considered to be very intuitive and sensitive animals. According to popular belief and some religions, cats are seen as a "talisman" that keeps away bad energies and brings protection and peace to the owners. That is, adopting a cat brings several benefits and provides, in a way, a "spiritual cleansing" for the environment where they live, since theCats sense people's energy.

What can cats predict?

Cats have very keen senses, so it can be said that cats can predict earthquakes, diseases and weather changes (such as when it will rain). They can also sense when their owner is going to die - provided it is from natural causes - and when someone is sad. However, none of this has to do with "prediction" exactly, but rather with the breed's olfactory, auditory, tactile and visual senses,that make them anticipate some things before they hit us (like earthquakes).