Marrilee Johnson, age 7, of Valley Center, Kan., for her question:

WHY DO THE CAT'S EYES GLOW?

The iris of a cat's eye  the colored part around the pupil  can be orange, gray, green, yellow, brown, blue or hazel. It is open just a slit in the bright light but at night it opens wide. The wide open iris allows the cat to see in dim light. He cannot see in complete darkness.

Friend kitty's eyes shine at night because o light reflected by a layer of cells forming a large pa t of the inner eye, called the tapetum. This area is green, blue, pink or gold and reflects a different color as the light changes.