Nothing scarier than finding your kitten's eyes glowing in the dark, right? To tell you the truth, it's not like this part of their body actually transmits light, as it basically works like a mirror. Therefore, it is a completely normal feature that has a function in nature.
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Why do kittens' eyes glow?
Basically, any vertebrate animal with nocturnal hunting habits has this characteristic. Therefore, cats, owls and some reptiles have eyes that glow in the dark. This is because they have a layer on their retinas known as the tapetum lucidum. This way, they can see better in the dark, as this surface reflects light back to the photoreceptor layer.
Because of this, your eyes can capture images in night environments properly. However, this does not always happen, as a small focus of light is needed in the region where your kitten is. Therefore, the phenomenon does not occur in environments totally lacking in light.
Even when there is little lighting, the pupil of this animal can be up to 50% larger than that of a human being. Also, because you have more light-sensitive cells at the back of your eyes, they have a greater reflection in relation to the emergence of new light sources, such as a camera or flashlight turned on during the night.
Disadvantages of night vision
Despite fulfilling its function in nature and providing good hunting or ways to defend itself at night, this characteristic can bring some disadvantages to these animals. That's because cats need to be much closer to a target or other animals to see them in rich detail, even with adequate lighting.
Therefore, when you see a kitten with eyes glowing in the dark, you already know that it is not a reason to be scared. After all, this is not a supernatural phenomenon, but a kitty defense and survival mechanism.