Kitten's first moon

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes

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The nationally bestselling picture book about a kitten, the moon, and a bowl of milk, written by the celebrated author and illustrator Kevin Henkes, was awarded a Caldecott Medal.

From one of the most celebrated and beloved picture book creators working in the field today comes a memorable new character and a suspenseful adventure just right for reading and sharing at home and in the classroom. It is Kitten's first full moon, and when she sees it she thinks it is a bowl of milk in the sky. And she wants it. Does she get it? Well, no . . . and yes. What a night!

A brief text, large type, and luminescent pictures play second fiddle to the star of this classic picture book—brave, sweet and lucky Kitten! "Henkes's text, reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's work in the elemental words, rhythms, and appealing sounds, tells a warm, humorous story that's beautifully extended in his shimmering, gray-toned artwork. "—ALA Booklist

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, an ALA Notable Book, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, and winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award

Supports the Common Core State Standards

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2004

About the author

Kevin Henkes became an author/illustrator when he was nineteen years old, working on a card table in his bedroom.
Today he's the author of many award-winning picture books and novels.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,385 reviews

Sheri

1,095 reviews37 followers

November 1, 2018

I enjoyed this delightful story of one precious kitten’s capers as she homes in on what she believes to be a tasty bowl of milk, only to be met with disappointment. Her determination doesn’t wane and eventually she finds what she desires in the best place of all. The story really captures the spirit of a kitten, playful, inquisitive, and cute!

2018 cats childrens-picture-books

Calista

3,795 reviews31.2k followers

September 12, 2018

I love the utter simplicity of this story. There was so much joy reading it and finding so much humor at a kitten who thinks the moon is a bowl of milk. Each page can kill you with cuteness. The art work continues the theme of simple. It looks like he outlined everything with a sharpie or just black ink and then shaded with charcoal. It is interesting. We all get to share in the innocence of the kitten for a short time. The story is written for 2-5 year olds and the book really works on that level too. This is an example of someone being able to tell a sweet story for that age group that an adult may also enjoy on some level.

The kids both fell for Kitten's cuteness. It's a short read and we read it twice. They both gave it 5 stars.

2004 award-caldecott award-various

Ronyell

956 reviews320 followers

February 9, 2017

I have been reading Kevin Henkes’ works ever since I was a child and every one of his children’s books always featured mice as the main characters. Well, imagine my surprise when I finally found a book by Kevin Henkes that was about a cat! “Kitten’s First Full Moon” is a Caldecott Medal award winning book by Kevin Henkes and it is about a small kitten who tries to grab a bowl of milk in the sky (the moon!) “Kitten’s First Full Moon” is a truly cute book that every child would definitely love for many years!

I was really interested in how well crafted this book was! Kevin Henkes has done an excellent job at writing this story about a small kitten’s attempts to grab a “bowl of milk” in the sky. The writing is extremely simple yet cute at the same time and I loved all the creative ways that Kitten tries to get to the moon, like trying to lick at it, jump towards the moon and chase after the moon. It was also cute in how the kitten mistakes the full moon for being a bowl of milk as it strongly relates to any child’s first experiences with a certain object, like say a child mistakes a piece of chalk for candy and it was this experience that Kitten has that made this book extremely relatable to everyone who had mistaken objects for something else. Kevin Henkes’ illustrations are truly beautiful and adorable as Kevin Henkes draws the Kitten in an extremely cute manner that my heart literally melted whenever I keep seeing an image of the little white kitten! I also loved the background images in the story as they truly looking dazzling, especially the scene where Kitten is running through the fields and you can see flowers and tall grass as she approaches them. The black and white colorings of the images make this book extremely fascinating to look at as it made the images look both dramatic and effective at the same time!

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Overall, “Kitten’s First Full Moon” is a truly cute book for children who love reading about cats and experiencing new things in life. I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since the format of this book is simple for smaller children to read.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

animal-books bedtime-stories caldecott-medal

August 5, 2009

Simple, sweet story with Caldecott-winning cuddly charcoal style artwork about a kitten who, in her wide-eyed innocence, mistaken a full moon for a bowl of milk. The ensuing adventure is full of mistakes and disappointment but a welcome treat is waiting for her at the end of it all!

childrens-picture-books

March 29, 2021

"It was Kitten’s first full moon.
when she saw it, she thought, there is a little bowl of milk in the sky. And she wanted it.
So she closed her eyes
and stretched her neck
and opened her mouth and licked.
What a night!" 🌕😻🌕
What a sweet and heartwarming story, I fell in love with this little white kitten, I wanna give her
a warm hug ~💜💜😻💜💜

28. 03.2021

american-literature art children

Cheryl

8,993 reviews392 followers

April 1, 2017

Like many other Caldecott books, this could also succeed without the words, but in this case they're so lovely to read (and hear) aloud that they enhance the story, imo. Of course I'm already a fan of Henkes and so am predisposed to enjoy this, but I do believe I'd love it even if I hadn't known the author already.

Mir

4,805 reviews4,990 followers

What a lot of adventures an unsupervised kitten can have!

picture

Kittens First Full Moon is written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes and is a Caldecott Medal Winner (2005). In black and white line drawings it tells the story of a young kitten out to explore during a full moon. Unfortunately for the young cat the moon looks like a big bowl of cream.

The illustrations are done in the style of a graphic novel or manga. They are bold, expressive and could easily carry the story without the text. Sometimes my daughter just likes to leaf through the book to admire the artwork without having me read the book to her.

Kittens First Full Moon is the perfect book for a night time read when we don't have time to read a book to each child. It has the adventure elements that my son enjoys and it has an adorable kitten for Harriet. This book is one that both kids picked out together and it continues to delight them.

animal pc picture-book

My daughter loves "Kitten's First Full Moon", and what's not to love? Kevin Henkes's adorable picture book is about a kitten who sees a bowl of milk in the sky and tries to drink from it. In actuality, it's a full moon, and the kitten's attempts to capture it result in ever-increasing troubles and misadventures. Thankfully, it ends on a high note.

Henkes, who also writes young adult fiction, is apparently an award-winning writer and illustrator of children's picture books as well. This particular one received the Caldecott Award, which awards excellence in children's literature.

I highly recommend this for anyone with a toddler and/or anyone who loves kittens.

childrens

Things I liked:
-kittens (duh)
-expressive, thick, black and white illustrations
-very cute-funny
-the kitten's experiences figuring out what something new is (thinking the full moon is a bowl of milk) is also an experience kids have
-the repetition of "poor kitten" which is really fun to say and then the change to "lucky kitten"
-the repetition of the quest to get it, then "still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting"

american fiction kids

Caldecott Medal (2005)

I really wonder about the selection process of the Caldecott award. Is there a specific set of criteria in choosing a winner? This book, much like the 2012 Caldecott winner, "A Ball for Daisy," is a nice enough picture book with a pleasant story that young children will appreciate. But, it isn't especially remarkable.

caldecott-medal children-s-picture-book

Grade Level: (K-1) Beginning K would be able to listen and then eventually read and 1 would be able to read independently.

Henkes uses interesting artistic angles in the story. His lack of color provides a nice night time atmosphere. It allows the reader to focus mainly on the kitten and the moon, the two basic things in the story. Also, the moon seems to grow and get larger each page as the kitten appears to try to get closer to the moon. The thick blank lines give the story a child-like, fun appeal. The text in the story is broken up very well so that even new readers don't feel overwhelmed by the large about of text on each page. Also, the use of exclamation points and question marks is a nice addition to a book level that usually doesn't add too many of these points. The child appeal in the story obviously comes a great deal through the kitten. Animals appeal to a wide range of children, and the common story of a kitten and a saucer of milk is known by many children. The "underdog" story comes out in his book as children would root for the kitten to reach beyond and get a hold of the moon (milk). I believe that this was a very effective book for the age range it is meant for. The "cute" kitten story draws the children in, but the quality text and good story line makes it a creditable story.

Content Connections:
Language Arts and Science

How To Use In Classroom:
I would incorporate this story into a solar system and space study unit in a basic format. As a teacher, the story could be read a loud and then a discussion could be done about the distance of the moon. Could the kitten really reach the moon? Why not?

pb-caldecott-winners

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes was such an adorable book! I love reading Caldecott awarded books because I always know I am going to be reading a great book. Kitten's First Full Moon was about a kitten who thought the full moon was a bowl of milk and was doing everything in its power to get to the moon. The kitten tried so hard to get to the moon, but every attempt failed. You started to feel bad for the poor hungry kitten, but in the end all of the kittens efforts were awarded when she arrived back to her house with a huge bowl of milk waiting for her.

Something I thought that was interesting about the book was that all of the illustrations were in black and white. There was not one display of color throughout the entire book. I think one of the main reasons of this is because it was set at night, but also because I think using this technique illustrated how the moon was the only thing that the kitten was noticing. I liked the fact that only black and white was used because it really brought your attention to the moon just like the kitten.

One of the biggest reasons this book made an impact on me because of the determination it showed of the kitten. This would be a great choice to show my students because it teaches them that you should work hard and keep trying even if you have failed attempts. The harder you work for something the more likely you'll achieve it.

caldecott

I love this book so very much. The story is about a cute, innocent-minded kitten who mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. This naive kitten captured my heart through the authors illustrations of imagination and curiosity that reminds me of my kitten at home. This story is one that I will definitely read to my children in the future.

My baby absolutely loved this book. He swore to help Kitten out of the tree. And he laughed at all the trouble that she went through imagining the bowl of milk. A great bed time story.

This book was amazing! I think this would be an awesome way to show that what you’re looking for is usually right there by you. Patience is key. The illustrations in this book are remarkable.

Micah

14 reviews1 follower

A random book I found for a Reading Bingo challenge. Poor kitten, I could see my little buddy falling into the pond mistaking it for milk.

Genre: Picture book—Other

Summary: A kitten sees her first full moon one night and believes it is a bowl of milk. She tries extremely hard to get what she thought was the milk but only fails time after time. Upset, the little kitten goes back home, where there is a bowl of milk waiting for her.
Critique:
a. As being a picture book and a 2005 Caldecott winner, of course the greatest strength of this book is the black and white illustrations. These illustrations are very different from any of the past 10 Caldecott winner books.
b. The strong point about the illustrations in this book is that they show the readers a different way to demonstrate illustrations. Usually, readers see a variety of colors in a book but in this book we see black, gray and white throughout the whole book. You would think illustrations in those colors would be boring but the illustrator does a fine job with shading to make the illustrations stand out and show realism. Another strong characteristic of the illustrations in this book is that they look like they are freshly drawn. Meaning, the illustrations looks like the illustrator has drawn them directly in the book.
c. To show these fantastic illustrations, page 12 shows a great deal of shading throughout the picture to show the readers the different realistic places the kitten was traveling. We see a lot of black and white as well as shading throughout the illustrations in which represent the same effects in colored pictures. The shading of these illustrations like on page 22 give the illustration the realistic look of the kitten being in the pond. We see shading all around the kitten to show the effect of the water and its movements and also the drips of water falling off the kitten’s ear.
Curriculum Connection:
As this book is for younger students, a lesson about the shapes throughout the book would be a good lesson to connect with students. Also, sequence of events is another lesson that students could learn from when reading this book. As this book is very easy to read and also does not show a lot of color, teachers could work on student’s pronunciation of words. Or it could be use just for fun- as this is an extremely cute book about a lovable little kitten that is having a hard time.

Have you ever wanted anything that is just a little out of your reach? If so, “Kitten’s First Full Moon” is the perfect book for you. This children’s picture book is about a little kitten that sees its first full moon. The kitten believes the moon is a bowl of milk and will go to great lengths to get the milk. As you can imagine, the kitten encounters some difficulties in this task. Henkes uses both humor and sensitivity to tell this story about a lovable kitten.

My understanding of the overall theme of this book is to address the issue of wanting what we cannot have. Henkes does this by telling the story of all the struggles the kitten faces while trying to get this out-of-reach “bowl of milk”. In the end, the kitten’s hard work does pay off, but not exactly in the way that the kitten had hoped.

The illustrations, although they are all black and white, are quite beautiful. The thick black lines and shades of gray perfectly guide the story of the kitten’s nighttime adventure. The illustrations compliment the text nicely in this story.

This book would be best for students in pre-school-first grade. The theme and text are both quite simple. It would be great to use as a read-aloud with the very young children and also a good book for beginning readers to try. The text contains some word patterns, which will help with predictability for those just learning to read.

This book won The Caldecott Medal in 2005 and it is sure to be a crowd-pleaser thanks to the curious personality of this adorable little kitten. This would be a great book to use with young students in the classroom setting to work on making connections. The students could also learn lessons about not always being able to get exactly what we want. This award winner brings a lot to the table for the young learners.

picture-books

(Pre-K - 1st grade)

I really enjoyed the simplicity of this book. The text was big and easy to read. The simple repetition of this book made some parts predictable. The author's use of dynamic balance was visible throughout the book as well. The pictures in this book were made using many simple, geometric shapes. I think that the author's choice of black and white pictures complimented this book well. There were also parts in the story where each step kitten made was detailed in the pictures. This story tells of kittens desire for adventure and something "new". At the end of the day, however, kitten returns to what is familiar and most comforting to her - home!

Related Content Areas:
Science, Fine Arts, Language Arts

Lesson Idea:
Since this story talks about the full moon, the teacher could use this story as an introduction to the different phases of the moon. The students could learn how to recognize the different phases based upon what they look like. They could even do a month long project where they go outside at the same time each night and draw the moon as they see it. At the end of the month, the children could look at how their drawings transformed over the month. The teacher should see if the children can recognize each phase using their drawings.

pb-caldecott-winners

• Book summary
-This story is about a kitten that saw a full moon for the first time. She believed the moon was a bowl of milk. She tried and tried to reach the bowl of milk, with no luck. After jumping into a reflection made in water, she gave up and walked home. She returned home and was thrilled to see a little bowl of milk waiting for her.

• Caldecott Medal

• Grade level, interest level, Lexile
-K-2

• Appropriate classroom use (subject area)
-This story can be used to teach children to never give up.

• Individual students who might benefit from reading
-Children that enjoy reading about animals will enjoy practicing reading.

• Small group use (literature circles)
-Children can take turns reading a page from the book and analyze the different ways the kitten tried to reach the moon.

• Whole class use (read aloud)
-Students can take turns explaining why the kitten couldn’t reach her bowl of milk in the sky.

• Related books in genre/subject or content area
-Kevin Henkes has multiple other books with the same overall topic of watching the moon. Fun to read and engage in the story to make you wonder.

• Multimedia connections
-Only available in hardcover.

my-books reading-4050

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes was the 2005 Caldecott Medal winner. I gave this book five stars. This picture book is intended for readers from preschool to grade two but its themes are universal. The book follows kitten in her many attempts to find that big bowl of milk, which happens to be the moon. She runs, she jumps, she climbs, but to no avail. However, when finally returning home, she finds that dish of milk waiting for her, and she is happy. This book symbolizes our determination to keep trying even in the face of defeat, even if we aren’t clear on what we are exactly after. If we keep trying, ultimately, we can find success and happiness. The illustrations in this book are black and white, which I think is intended to make the story universal. The challenge and characters may change, but we are all must keep trying, no matter what. Even if we get down on ourselves, we can still find triumph, even if it is right back where we started. I think young readers will connect to kitten’s attempts and find humor in it. Clear connections can be made to readers of all ages that we must never give up.

picture-books

Description: Kitten witnesses her first full moon and beings a quest to catch what she thinks is a giant bowl of milk in the sky.

Genre: This picture book is fiction

Intended Audience: Preschool - 1st Grade

Curriculum Connection: Because of the obstacles and surprises that kitten faces, I would use this book to show children how to make predictions. As each new situation presents itself to kitten, I would stop and have students guess the outcome. After the first few, their predictions will become more obvious since they know what is tending to happen to the kitten.

Personal Reaction: I thought that this was a very funny book for young children. They will laugh at the wet cat and when she catches the bugs in her mouth. Also, the images of the cat at each new surprise is silly and young children will love it and will remain engaged.

Assessment of Visual Appeal: This is a book completely in black and white tones. Because of this, the cat and the moon, which are both white, stick out as the important objects of the story. I loved how the moon was on every page, a reminder to us and to kitten that that is the ever-present goal for this cat.

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Jen

18 reviews

I found this book through the ALSC Website. It was the winner of the Caldecott Medal and the Charlotte Zolotow Award. The story starts off with a kitten that sees a full moon for the first time and thinks it is a big bowl of milk. Determined to drink the milk, Kitten tries many different ways to get to it such as sticking out her tongue, jumping, or chasing it. In the end the exhausted kitten does not get the milk in the sky but comes back home to a nice big bowl of milk.

Kevin Henkes breaks away from his typical colorful illustrations and uses only black and white pictures to tell the story. The pictures still come alive as you read the book through the use of shading and thick lines. He alternates between showing Kitten attempting to get the milk with many pictures to her waiting, with a mostly white background. Kitten travels across the pages as the determination and sadness on her face shows the reader that she is not giving up easily. Young readers will enjoy the silliness of Kitten thinking the moon is milk and feeling satisfied at the end when she gets what she wanted all along.

picture-books

Heidi

623 reviews2 followers

3.8 stars

I first read this picture book as an
adult.

The illustrations are nice and attractive
and appropriate. Actually, they are
quite beautiful in a way.

The storyline is good--not great.
The fact that the illustrations are
in black and white really works for this
particular book. Color illustrations
would really not work in this book.

I thought this storybook was good--
not great. If I had read it when I was
younger it probably would have appealed
to me more. I think that most young
children would really like it.

childrens-picture isuh

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In the humorous book Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes we follow kittens journey through the night in the quest to reach a bowl of milk. This book is great for beginning readers, or anyone who loves cats!

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irish

14 reviews6 followers

ive been in a HUGE reading slump, so im trying to read again :)

Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,385 reviews

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Full Text

It was Kitten’s first full moon. When she saw it, she thought, “There’s a little bowl of milk in the sky.” And she wanted it. So she closed her eyes and stretched her neck and opened her mouth and licked. But Kitten only ended up with a bug on her tongue. Poor Kitten! Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting. So she pulled herself together and wiggled her bottom and sprang from the top step of the porch. But Kitten only tumbled— bumping her nose and banging her ear and pinching her tail. Poor Kitten! Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting. So she chased it— down the sidewalk, through the garden, past the field, and by the pond. But Kitten never seemed to get closer. Poor Kitten! Still, there was the little bowl of milk, just waiting. So she ran to the tallest tree she could find, and she climbed and climbed and climbed to the very top. But Kitten still couldn’t reach the bowl of milk, and now she was scared. Poor Kitten! What could she do? Then, in the pond, Kitten saw another bowl of milk, and it was bigger. What a night! So she raced down the tree and raced through the grass and raced to the edge of the pond. She leaped with all her might— Poor Kitten! She was wet and sad and tired and hungry. So she went back home. And there was a great big bowl of milk on the porch, just waiting for her. Lucky Kitten!

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Advice from our ancestors: why a cat is the first to enter a new apartment Some of these traditions are still popular today.

Photo: Jan Haas / DPA / TASS

There are many popular beliefs about what to do when moving to a new home so that life in it is long and happy. Some people believe in them and try to unquestioningly follow the traditions of our ancestors, others believe that signs are relics of the past.

We have compiled the most interesting customs that many families followed when moving to new homes centuries ago.

adv.rbc.ru

It was believed that when leaving an old house, it was necessary to leave a few coins in it so that the new owners of the property would live in abundance. Also, coins were tossed before moving into new housing so that money would always be found in it.

Another obligatory tradition during the move was cleaning. It was possible to damage the rubbish that remained in the old house, so all rubbish was burned or buried in a deep hole so that no one could find it.

Our ancestors believed that a cat or an elderly person should be the first to enter a new house. The cats, having entered the new apartment, carried positive energy and made friends with the spirits that patronized the family. It was also believed that along with the tenants, old problems would move into the new house, which would haunt the one who entered it first. In addition, the cat is a symbol of prosperity and well-being. According to popular belief, if the pet is the first to cross the threshold, there will never be a need in the house.

Beds were usually placed where the cat would lie down first. It was also believed that you need to pay attention to what places the pioneer avoids. If they noticed that the cat, for example, did not sit in the right corner of the kitchen, they did not put a table there.

If there is no cat (it was impossible to take someone else), the oldest member of the family entered the house first. At the same time, it was believed that it was better that it was a woman. The ancient Slavs believed that the house takes a sacrifice for well-being and a happy life. Whoever enters the house first will be the first to leave.

After the house was inspected by the cat and the new settlers, it was customary to do the cleaning. However, our ancestors approached this seemingly ordinary action very carefully.

In order to sweep the floor in a new house, in no case should you use an old broom, as it can bring the same problems. They treated the broom carefully - they believed that they could be damaged or cured of an illness. They also swept the newborns with a broom so that they could sleep peacefully.

A new broom could not be bought in August, it was believed that this would bring trouble to the owner. Our ancestors recommended making such a purchase during the growing moon. The broom in the new house was supposed to stand in the corner with the handle down, it was believed that this protects against the evil eye.

After a general cleaning, it was customary to let a rooster into the new house on the first night. This bird symbolized wealth and fertility. In addition, it was believed that with its crowing, the rooster drove out evil spirits and evil spirits. If the owners returned in the morning and saw that the rooster was shaking its head, it was believed that trouble would happen in the new house, and if the rooster constantly crowed, the family would soon have a wedding. It was also believed that when a bird flaps its wings, someone in the new home will soon die.

After the rooster had fulfilled its mission, they made jelly out of it - the main dish for housewarming. It was customary to attach a figurine of a rooster to the roof and near the entrance to the dwelling. It was believed that the image of a warlike bird drove away evil spirits.

Brownie in Rus' was considered the patron of the house and the keeper of the family hearth. Our ancestors took these household spirits very seriously, believed in their protection and help. According to popular belief, the brownie must be taken with you, otherwise he will get angry, cause anxiety and interfere with those who settle in your old home.

It was believed that if a part of the family remains in the former place of residence, it is not worth taking the brownie. The household spirit must remain in the house until all the relatives have moved out.

If the house has been built recently, the brownie must be invited. To do this, it was customary to put a jug of milk and sweets on the table, and then say: “Father, come!” According to legend, brownies have a terrible sweet tooth, and if you prepare a delicious treat, he will certainly become your friend and helper.

Before spending the night in a new dwelling, all the corners in the house were smeared with honey so that the new settlers could live sweetly. Also, it was necessary to stick a pin in the door, which protected the family from evil spirits and the evil eye.

It was believed that in a new house prophetic dreams are sure to occur. Therefore, everyone, falling asleep, asked himself a question to which he wanted to receive an answer. Girls who wanted to get married, falling asleep, said: “In a new place, dream of the bridegroom!”

How cats see - how cats see our world: what colors do cats see Some mammals, such as humans, rely more on sight than others. These animals include cats. Vision for them is not the main way of perceiving the world around them, but, undoubtedly, very important.

What is the eyesight of cats?

Anatomically, the organs of vision in cats are arranged in the same way as in most mammals. The main structures of the eye are represented by three membranes:

Protein membrane (sclera)
Choroid
Inner sheath (retina)

The first shell - protein - from the outside forms a convex cornea, which protects the internal structures of the eye from mechanical damage.

The second - vascular - forms the iris and pupil. They are necessary to regulate the light flux entering the visual apparatus: the more light enters the eye, the more the pupil narrows.

The inner shell - the retina - contains photoreceptors, thanks to which the eye distinguishes between light, shadow and colors. These receptor cells are divided into rods and cones. The first are necessary in order to distinguish between movements, thanks to the second, animals see colors.

Although the basic structure of the cat's eye is similar to that of the eyes of other animals, there are differences, the most obvious of which is the shape of the pupils. The pupil in cats is able to significantly change its shape, depending on the amount of incoming light. The maximum constriction of the pupil, which becomes like a vertical line, is necessary to limit the flow of light. Conversely, in the dark, the pupil is able to expand greatly, catching even minor light sources.

The cornea - the anterior shell of the eye - in cats occupies almost the entire surface of the visible part of the eyeball. For comparison, in humans, it occupies only 30-50% of the surface. And due to the fact that the cornea in cats is more convex, their eyes cover up to 270 degrees (while human eyes only cover 180).

Although cats are able to distinguish objects at a distance of 60 meters from them, the optimal range at which a cat can see objects clearly is from 75 cm to 6 m. This is the distance that a cat needs in order to hunting time to make a jump from an ambush. Close objects they see blurry, near these animals recognize objects for the most part by the organs of touch.

Cats have binocular vision, which means that they see objects with both eyes at once. Their field of view is located in the center, which helps them to better focus on the selected object. When hunting, this helps them estimate the speed of movement of the prey and the distance to it.

In addition, cats have very sharp eyesight, exceeding the sharpness of the human eye by seven times. However, visual acuity is necessary for the recognition of moving objects, while static objects are perceived worse by them.

You may have noticed during the game that your pet focuses better on those objects that move in a horizontal plane. Movements in the vertical plane are more difficult for cats to recognize.

What colors do cats see?

Although cats were long thought to be almost color blind, it is now known that the cat's eye has a wide range of colors available.

The color spectrum that a cat's eye can perceive is different from that which a person sees. This is due to the different set of photoreceptors in the retina. The receptors by which the eye "sees" color are called cones. Cats do not have cones that absorb some color signals, in particular, they are not able to perceive shades of red, orange and brown. The cat's eye is bad at distinguishing white, purple and yellow colors, and between blue and cyan almost does not "see" the difference. Cat eyes are most susceptible to green, blue and gray colors. Since these are the colors they see best, the world from the point of view of the pet takes on a bluish-gray tint, and the sun - green-blue.

Cats perceive gray best of all - their eyes distinguish more than twenty shades of gray, since this is the color of the game they hunt in nature (mice, rats, some birds).

How do cats see in the dark?

In addition to the cones, which we mentioned earlier when we talked about the color perception of the cat's eye, photoreceptors are also represented by rods. These are receptors that provide peripheral and night vision. In all nocturnal animals, the number of rods in the retina predominates over the number of cones, and in cats their ratio is 25:1. Thanks to these receptors, cats perfectly navigate in the dark and can lead a nocturnal lifestyle.

In addition to a large number of rods, cats have a special layer of the choroid - the tapetum. It is located behind the retina and performs a “mirror” function - photons of light passing through the retina and not absorbed by the photoreceptors located on it are reflected from the tapetum and again fall (“reflected”) onto the retina, enhancing the perception of light. That is, the number of photons that the photoreceptors capture increases. It is thanks to this feature that cats are able to distinguish objects well even in the dark.

The cat sees all objects in gray tones at night. Despite the fact that these animals are able to see well in low light conditions, they still do not see in complete darkness.

Kitten's first moon

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

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Kitten's First Full Moon

Advice from our ancestors: why a cat is the first to enter a new apartment Some of these traditions are still popular today.

How cats see - how cats see our world: what colors do cats see Some mammals, such as humans, rely more on sight than others. These animals include cats. Vision for them is not the main way of perceiving the world around them, but, undoubtedly, very important.

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