See The World Through The Eyes Of A Cat

Another reason cat vision is so great in the dark is because of what's called the "mirror layer" behind their retina, which reflects the light absorbed by the eye. If a rod in a human retina doesn't "see" the light, describes ABC Science Australia, it gets absorbed into the black layer behind the retina. In cats, however, "if the light has not hit a rod, it will reflect off the mirror layer and be bounced. The light now has a second chance to hit a rod, and to be put to work," ABC explains.