Cats appear to be slightly nearsighted, which would suggest their vision is tailored more for closer objects, such as prey, that can capture within running distance. Objects farther than several hundred yards rarely interest a cat. Cats have the ability to jump from as much as 6 feet onto a narrow window ledge without touching the window. This feat would require not only excellent balance, but also precise distance judgment. Cats have both rods and cones in the retina.
Rods are the receptors that the eye uses for night time viewing and sudden movement.
Cones are used during the daytime, and process color information. Cats have more rods than cones, as compared with humans, making cat night and motion vision superior to humans. In low light, like night, color and hue are not perceived, only black, white and shades of gray. Cats have an elliptical pupil which opens and closes much faster than round types and allows for a much larger pupil size. This allows more light to enter the eye.