P.S.
It is very unlikely that our cat will be cooperative tonight.
After thinking about yesterday's observations it occurred
to me that one fact is not consistent with the lens-mirror
model of John's.
My daughter was on the left side of me, actually in my
shadow, as far as the kitchen fixture is concerned. Yes,
she was still illuminated by the scattered light but not
as much as I was. And yet we observed the glowing
eyes at the same time.
More significant was the fact that she was about 3 feet
on my left side. The distance to the cat, from each of
us, was about 15 feet. The eyes of the cat's could not
possibly be directed simultaneously at me and at her.
The lens-mirror retroreflection is supposed to be in
the direction of the lens axis (cat's eyes), not in
several directions at the same time (as it would be
if the eyes were mirrors arranged in the corner
cube configuration).
Would we still see the glowing (not flickering)
cat's eyes at the same time if the distance between
us were much larger that three feet? A dark face
mask and simultaneous observations of the glow
by two people are important factors, as far the
validation of the explanation is concerned.
Ludwik Kowalski