# Do Dogs & Cats see in Color?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cats-see-in-color/42532>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 24, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cats-see-in-color/42532 "2000-11-24T14:33:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KGonzo32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/77aa72/32.png) [@KGonzo32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGonzo32)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cats-see-in-color/42532/1 "2000-11-24T14:33:41Z")

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As legend has it, Dogs & Cats only see in black & white. Is there any new research indicating what colors domesticated animals actually see?

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**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cats-see-in-color/42532/2 "2000-11-24T15:36:12Z")

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As I dimly recall, colour vision is thought to be mediated by the number of cones in the retina; this is different from black and white vision mediated by retinal rods. I think that this was the basis for the claim that animals couldn’t see colour. I have not seen any recent research, but in medical school one professor claimed that cats COULD likely see in colour, but dogs could not. I don’t know if this is true. Seeing eye birds were supposedly touted over dogs because they could see in colour. I don’t see what difference this makes myself; colourblind people know traffic lights by their location and different sizes.

Seeing-eye bird: Don’t drink that wine, you fool. You asked for red, dammit, not rose.

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**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cats-see-in-color/42532/3 "2000-11-24T19:11:13Z")

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[This archived article might be useful](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_004.html)  
🙂

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**Author:** ![Nessy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f04885/32.png) [@Nessy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nessy)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cats-see-in-color/42532/4 "2000-11-24T19:14:08Z")

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There are at least 5 threads, some last month, on that exact topic.  
Just do your homework: Search on “color” in the subject line and “Any Date”

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cats-see-in-color/42532/5 "2000-11-24T19:44:37Z")

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[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=38714](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=38714)

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=33318](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=33318)