Cats have excellent vision during the dark and are predators who like to hunt at night. Despite the advantage of vision, the fear of their predators, previous abuses, or injury greatly influences them. It is normal to fear the dark as we humans, too, are a little bit afraid of the things we find uncomfortable or cannot see.
Are Cats Scared Of The Dark? Yes, some cats don’t like the darkness and are afraid of the absolute dark. The reason can be anything from the previous injuries in the dark or the fear of getting hunted by its predators.
Some cats don’t like darkness as they do not have an idea what could be there in the front.
Can Cats Be Afraid Of The Dark?
Though cats can see well in the dark, they can be afraid of the dark. The reason for this might be the fear they have regarding some bad incidences in the night.
For example, there could be a case where they would have been chased or abused in the past in the night. These cases thus remain in the consciousness of the cats, and they generate the fear of going out in dark places.
There are cases where the cats might be suffering from some illness where there might not be able to see in the dark correctly. These can be the symptoms of night blindness. Thus it is necessary to know why the cat is afraid of the dark to find the solution.
What Are The Signs That Your Cat Is Afraid Of The Dark
The best tip to know whether they are afraid of the dark is seeing their personality and attitude near the dark places. Also, other factors and signs help you find the reason for your cat’s fear of the dark.
01.Intense Cry
At the time of darkness, the cat sometimes reacts strange and begins to cry instantly. Whenever you find that your cat is weeping in the corner of some room whose lights are off, then the fear of dark could be the reason.
If the owner finds that every time the cat is in a dark place, or suddenly lights go off, the cat starts to scream or cry out frightens. Then he should take this matter seriously and react to it.
02. Dilation of Pupils
Another sign which can be seen in fear of darkness is the dilation of pupils in the cat. It is normal to have some of the changes over the body because of fear. It is the same with the cats, too, as their pupils begin to widen whenever they suffer from any anxiety.
Whenever they feel uncomfortable with the darkness, this situation happens with them, and the pupil expands. You can look for this symptom while looking out the reasons for fear of darkness.
03. Increase in Heart Rate
The average normal heart rate for the cat to remain healthy is 120 to 140 beats per minute. But the heart rises to 180 beats per minute at the time when they are scared.
This increased heart rate could negatively impact the health of the cat’s body, and they can start showing some symptoms regarding the disease of the heart. As a lover of cats and the owner, you would not want your cat to go through all this.
04. Regular Sweats Issue in Paws
The usual symptom or the signs which anyone can face is sweating. The cats also show the same signs whenever they feel like they are getting stressed.
The cats might have sweat paws whenever they are introduced to the darkness, and they get frightened of the previous trauma or harmful incidents in dark places, resulting in the cats’ wet paws.
Is It Okay To Leave Cats In The Dark?
This decision can depend on the individual and the cat he has. The cats can see well in the night and has better night vision than any other animal. Thus, the cats who do not have a problem and fear darkness can leave them in the dark, and they will be okay.
But you can find some cats who have a fear of the dark. They can be suffering from night blindness or have previous abuses, which generates fear in them. Thus they should take care of them while in the night. They need to keep an eye on them so that they should not get terrified from the dark.
If you are an owner who wants to train your cat for every surrounding and wants them to be comfortable at night, then it is okay to leave them in the dark under your surveillance.
Do Cats Need A Light On At Night?
The cats have better vision than humans and are much comfortable seeing things in the night, and this is because their eyes can see the objects in the low light and thus do not require light as much as humans need.
If you compare humans and cats, you will find that the amount of light the humans and cats need differs six times, and it means that the cat needs only one-sixth of the light that humans need.
Thus, overall, you can say that cats need light to see things clearly at night.
Do Cats See Ghost In Dark?
You will find a lot of people who say that the cat can see ghosts, and this is because the cats have incredible senses, which can make them hear and see better than a human being.
But can they see ghosts and spirits are a matter of incident as they can be confused when they wake up from a nightmare, and it is normal to see ghosts in different things because of the fear of the nightmare.
There could be some reflection or moving objects that their senses can read and but humans can’t, so they think they can see the ghosts.
So their fear and lack of sleep can sometimes create illusions in them, which people call ghosts or spirits.
