What Domestic Animals Are Colorblind?

Many domestic animals are what is referred to as being colorblind, because they don't see as many colors as humans who are not colorblind. Contrary to the notion that these domestic animals see no color, they do see dull grays, blues and greens -- just not bright, vivid colors such as red, pink and purple as humans see. This is because of the decreased number of color cones that many animals have. Most humans have three color cones: blue, green and red, but these animals have only two color cones in their retinas: blue and green.

  1. Cats

    • Your cat does not see that your sweater is a bold, red color. It probably sees a dim gray instead. Cats are known to have only two color cones in their retinas: blue and green. They are able to see varied dull shades of these colors, as well as black, grey, white and sometimes yellow. Though your cat may not see as many colors as you do, it has better night vision, which is helpful, as cats are nocturnal animals.

    Dogs

    • Dogs are very similar to cats in the way their eyes perceive color. They see dulled shades of yellow, blue, green and gray. This has been proven by special eye tests done by technicians that test the amount of color a dog will see and how brightly it is able to see that specific color.

    Rabbits

    • Rabbits are another domestic animal known to be colorblind, with the same two color cones in their retinas as other domestic animals. Because rabbits, as well as other colorblind domestic animals like cats and dogs, do see some color, it is more accurate to call them "partially colorblind." A rabbit has another eyesight benefit, though. Its eyes are on the sides of its head, enabling it to see nearly 360 degrees around, which helps it spot and escape from predators.

    Rats and Mice

    • Rats and mice might not be commonly known as domestic animals, but many people do choose to have them as pets. Rats and mice, like other colorblind domestic animals, have two color cones, a condition known as "dichromatic." Unlike other domestic animals, however, the level of green and blue colors they see is different. These animals see the shades of green much better than shades of blue, because they have about 88 percent green cones and only 12 percent blue cones.