Are cats color blind??

I have always wondered if they are color blind like dogs. Also, can a cat see in total darkness? Just curious!

One, I believe they do see in colour.... two, I don't think there is such a thing as total darkness. Just an absence of light. If that makes any sense whatsoever.... because your pupils dilate to let in more light, I suspect a cat would be able to allow more light into it's eyes than obviously we can... so they'll be able to see in darker areas than we can. And if they're carrot-eaters.........

I'll move this to the Health forum

Cats are not color blind but they do have limited color vision.

As far as I've read, cats do see in colour, but limited colours apparently!

Because cats are naturally nocturnal hunters their eyes have evolved to let in maximum light, which means they can see in extremely limited conditions. As for colour, mine have always had special toys that they prefer, and seem to know immediately whether they are going for a green or purple one, even at a distance when smell would not be such a great factor. Though of course their enormous powers of smell assist their vision as well.

thanks everybody

No to both questions. While cats don't see all the colors we do, they can see some of them. They have more color rods then dogs - dogs see virtually all in black/white.

And cats cannot see in TOTAL darkness, but they can see in very dim light that would appear "dark" to us.

Zissou can see more colors than her human daddy. She likes cool colored toys (purple, green, blue) better than warm ones.
She can see in what seems like total darkness to me, but I know it isn't. I think her eyes adjust to brightness / darkness faster than mine. I should take her to the movie theater to be my guide if I need to use the restroom or get a refill.

Zissou, the seeing-eye cat !

Cat's pupils dilate very rapidly to allow maximum light to get in which helps with vision at night. Also they have a reflective surface on the back of their retinas which allows them to kind of concentrate the available light and make the most of it. It's called the "tapetum lucidum" (sp) AKA the famous "cat's eyes".