Donate SIGN UP

Can cats see infrared light?

Avatar Image
utepoot | 11:47 Sun 25th Mar 2012 | Science
7 Answers
We just put up an outside security light, the cats seem to have sussed how not to set it off, can it be possible they they can see the infrared beams and avoid them?
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 7 of 7rss feed

Best Answer

No best answer has yet been selected by utepoot. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
What an interesting question - and one that seems resistant to easy googling too.

I found one or two (reasonably authoritative) references to cats seeing further into the other end of the spectrum - beyond violet - but nothing about infra-red. Yet I agree that cats *are* very good at avoiding passive IR detectors.
they can see laser pointers, but that's not the same, is it... could it be that the catz are just too low to the ground?
Question Author
Maybe they just have good memory, then. They probably took note of which areas are "safe" to walk without setting the light off! Good point about them being too low to the ground, the beams are meant to pick up humans so I guess they don't point down to a cat's level.
If it's a typical PIR operated security light, then there won't be any infrared beams for the cats to detect. The P in PIR stands for passive, which means that the detector doesn't send out infrared, it merely detects that given off by warm bodies (such as cats and humans).
The ability of fur to thwart infrared detectors is well known among . . . cat burglars.

http://www.claudsgate...-Detection-guide.html

http://www.eumyeducat...ages/infrared-cat.jpg
They are also good at ignoring ultrasound weapons pointed at them.
Question Author
Thanks to all who answered! :)

1 to 7 of 7rss feed

Do you know the answer?

Can cats see infrared light?

Answer Question >>

Related Questions

Sorry, we can't find any related questions. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to search for some keywords, or choose a topic and submit your own question.