Have you ever looked deep into your kitty’s eyes just to appreciate their color? Have you watched your outside cat expertly stalk a mouse or hop over your fence? Are you amazed at the way your cats focus on their cat toy as you dangle it above their heads? That’s all possible thanks to a cat’s incredible eyesight, and good cat eye health.
Like people, cats rely on their eyes to navigate the world. Unlike people, cats can see fairly well in low levels of lighting. They also have a third eyelid; something you won’t find in humans! What all this boils down to is an incredible structure behind your cat’s gorgeous eyes, a structure that needs to be protected in order to ensure your cat lives a long, healthy, happy life at your side.
How Does Cat Vision Work?
Cat eyes feature a lot of the same working parts found in human and other animal eyes. The cornea, iris, pupil, lens, and retina work together to control and focus the amount of light entering the eye.
Cone cells and rod cells inside the retina allow cats to see in dim light and calculate distance and speed. This makes them excellent hunters, and capable of seeing about six times better than humans in dim lighting! Can you imagine trying to track and catch a mouse with only the light of the moon to help you see? Your cat can!
Outdoor Cats Depend on Their Eyes for Survival
The world is a big place for your average eight to ten-pound outdoor domestic cat. And that big place can get scary pretty fast if an outdoor cat can’t see properly. Your neighborhood may seem like a friendly, safe area, and your cat might be the most independent, low-maintenance pet in the world. But as an outdoor cat, your feline friend is very dependent on good vision to survive.
Some outdoor cats hunt for their food. That survival talent is dependent on their ability to see and catch their prey. A cat with cloudy eyes or obscured vision won’t catch enough food to stay healthy, and it may even have trouble finding its way home without properly functioning eyesight.
Indoor Cats Depend on Their Eyes for Enrichment
Your indoor cat may not have to hunt for its food to survive, but it still needs to be able to see to comfortably navigate and live in its environment. Blind cats or cats with impaired vision are more likely to startle. You might unintentionally surprise your blind cat by trying to pick them up, and earn a scratch in the process. You may think your cat knows you’re there, but imagine being scooped off the ground by an unidentified person while your eyes are closed! You probably wouldn’t like that very much.
In addition to navigating around your home, your indoor cat relies on its eyesight to live a fun, engaged life. When you tease your cat with a laser pointer or dangle a toy on a string and watch them twitch back and forth before pouncing, your cat is playing while practicing hunting behaviors. These playtimes help keep cats from getting bored, and increase their quality of life.
Cat Eye Problems
Your cat’s eyes should appear clear and bright, with no cloudiness or yellowed areas. But as they age, cats are more likely to wind up with eye issues. Cats develop many of the same eye problems that afflict aging humans as they age, such as:
- Glaucoma: increased pressure in the eye, can lead to complete blindness
- Cataracts: cloudiness of the eye, can result in vision loss
- Watery eyes: possibly a sign of allergies, blocked tear ducts, or tear overproduction
- Eye infections: can usually be treated with antibiotics or medicated eye drops
- Corneal ulcers: can result from blunt trauma or chemical burn of the cornea
- Conjunctivitis: inflammation of the conjunctiva, can cause constant squinting
Luckily, many of these issues can be treated with a visit to the vet, medication, or surgery. Even luckier, some conditions are largely preventable if you feed your cat the right diet and ensure its overall health.
Support Your Cat’s Eyesight with The Vital Supplement from Wapiti Labs
Just as cats don’t grow a new tooth after losing an adult one, they can’t exactly grow a new set of eyes or improve their vision once it’s damaged. That’s why it’s so important to take care of your cat’s eyesight from the get-go. And the best way to keep your cat’s eyesight functioning is to cultivate its health as your cat ages. This can be done by feeding your cat a proper, high-meat diet, ensuring it gets enough exercise, and making sure your cat maintains a healthy weight.
Another way to ensure your cat’s eyesight is in good shape is to support eye function with the Vital formula from Wapiti Labs. Our natural supplement features a blend of Elk Velvet Antler (EVA) and traditional herbs selected to help your cat feel great. The formula is available as a concentrated powder, with no synthetic ingredients. In addition to supporting your cat’s eyesight, Vital helps maintain joint flexibility and mobility, blood cell health, stamina, endurance, and the health of your cat’s liver and kidneys. Keep your cat bright eyed and bushy tailed with the Wapiti Vital supplement!
