When your pet looks at you, have you ever wondered what they can see? Leading veterinary ophthalmologist Chris Dixon, Clinical Director of Veterinary Vision, gives an insight into what vision is really like for cats and dogs.
Why is dogs and cats’ vision different to humans?
Animals' vision varies because, as they have evolved, their vision has adapted for the requirements of their specific environment. This could mean they are able to see better at night, or track movement at pace, for example when they are looking to find food.
Dogs have a visual field width similar to ours, as both their eyes and ours are positioned forward-facing. This alignment means they perceive the world within a comparable visual range to humans.
However, the colour patterns which dogs and cats see compared to humans are entirely different.
Can cats and dogs see in colour?
We know that dogs and cats see blue, green and grey well, but that they struggle to distinguish between red and green.
So, for dogs, throwing a red toy for them in a park may confuse them – it wouldn’t disappear for them but it would appear as shade of green or green/grey, because they simply don't have that ability to see that colour.
This is because they have evolved as dawn and dusk hunters – these are times of day when there is not much light in the red wavelength, so their eyes have adapted to suit the times of day when they are most active.
How does vision in cats and dogs differ to humans?
We know that humans see in high-definition colour vision, but not all animals see like that.
Research suggests that while animals may not see with the same clarity as humans, they often have superior motion detection. This heightened ability allows them to spot and react to movement more quickly—an essential skill for hunters, such as cats, who rely on it to track fast-moving prey like mice.
Other aspects of vision that can differ include the range of colors animals perceive, the clarity of objects, their depth perception—whether they see better up close or far away—and the extent of their peripheral vision.
Do different breeds of dog see differently?
Vision can be very different in one breed of dog to another – firstly, there’s the height they’re seeing the world at, which would be completely different in a Pug to a Great Dane.
Some dogs’ eyes are close together and small, while others are big and further spaced apart.This all impacts their range of peripheral vision.
Research has established that some working breeds such as German Shepherds, Labradors and Rottweilers, are able to see better than other breeds.
Do other animals see differently to cats and dogs?
Some do - we wouldn’t expect a cat to have the same vision as a horse, for example, because they lead completely different lives and have different needs.
The position of the eyes on an animal and the shape of the pupils can both have an impact on what it can see. Dogs have good central vision but not such good peripheral vision, as their eyes tend to face forward, whereas the position of a horse’s eyes and the oblong shape of its pupils means it can see in panorama.
Can dogs and cats see well in the dark?
We know that cats and dogs have vastly superior night vision to humans. This is because of their evolution as dawn and dusk hunters – they need excellent night vision to be able see their prey well.
Cats have slit-like pupils which can more rapidly open and close, meaning they can adapt from different light conditions more quickly. The majority of cats and dogs also have a reflective layer behind the retina, called the tapetum, that allows for enhanced night vision.
Can a dog or cat be short sighted?
Yes, animals can be short sighted – we have equipment which can identify this, much like an optician would use to look at the human eye, and this shows us when they require a corrective lens. I just wish I could get them to read the eye chart!
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Chris Dixon is Clinical Director of Veterinary Vision, which has a team of 15 ophthalmologists offering a dedicated referral service for cases from across the UK.
Chris is an RCVS accredited advanced practitioner in veterinary ophthalmology and is one of a small number of vets worldwide who can carry out retinal reattachment surgery in dogs. As part of his work on how animals see the world, he has created a range of images to show the difference between human and animal vision.