Imagine this: you are preparing to spend your summer vacation in another country to visit your family. You pack everything you need, and then you see your cat watching you, sitting on top of your suitcase. Since she cannot come along, she will be home with your roommate for 2 months. A thought crosses your mind: do cats remember people? Will she miss you? Will she still recognize you when you get back after 2 months?
Will your cat still remember your face? Yes, cats can remember you, probably for years, but this is most likely based on your smell and voice, not your face. Keep reading to learn how a cat’s memory functions.
Cat Memory Span: Long-Term Memory & Short-Term Memory
When we think about “memories,” what comes into our heads is one’s ability to recall specific events, places, people, and procedures, among other things that we have experienced at least once in the past. Although the answer is yes, cats can remember you after a long period, it is essential to note that it is likely that cats store memories differently than humans.
Short-Term Memory
Short-term memory (sometimes called working memory) is recalling information after a short period, perhaps a few minutes, hours, or maybe a day, until ultimately forgetting it when it is no longer relevant or of any use. For cats, short-term memory is likely similar, though there is no current scientific research on exactly how long their memory lasts.
Cats’ short-term memory is crucial to their survival instincts, allowing them to remember locations abundant with prey, shelter, or danger. This also includes certain times of the day when food may be abundant or when danger is apparent. Enough rehearsal and exposure to the information can likely result in storage in long-term memory.
Long-Term Memory
When a piece or set of information is rehearsed and repeated enough, it then gets encoded into one’s long-term memory. Humans have episodic memory, which is the ability to recall specific details such as our parents’ phone numbers, the names of our loved ones, or maybe where we celebrated our last birthday party. Cats, in contrast, may have associative memory, which involves recalling memories or information in association with past experiences, whether positive or negative.
Because of cats’ associative memory, long-term memory plays a vital role in a cat’s behavior. Cats associate certain things with positive or negative experiences in the past. Anecdotally, they may be able to store information for up to 10 years! Although cats have a lengthy long-term memory span, they are most likely selective with the information they store.
Do Cats Remember People?
Dogs seem to have a better ability to remember people and their faces mainly due to the longer association with humans rather than brain power. Regardless, cats indeed remember people’s faces, although it is also likely that they also use their sense of smell.
Like the other data they store in their long-term memory. cats associate the humans in their lives with positive or negative consequences that they have experienced with or thanks to them. Perhaps they remember one person’s face because the person provides them with food, and then another person’s face because of how often they provide pets and cuddles. As these are stored in their long-term memory, a person’s face can be stored and remembered for many years!
Cats can also remember people by associating them with negative experiences, such as when someone hurt the cat. The cat may behave differently toward the person by exhibiting aggressive behavior or avoiding the person entirely, all due to associating the person’s face with negative experiences.
How Long Do Cats Remember People? What Does The Science Say
The challenge with this question is that it cannot be readily tested, so there is very little in the way of scientific research into the subject. Most experimental research into short and long term memory, including spatial and experiential memories, have been performed using rodents, birds, and primates, and information about canine and feline long term memory is largely anecdotal, based on owner reports.
There are dozens, if not hundreds of cases of cats that have gone missing and been reunited with their owners many years later (1, 2, 3). In one case, a cat that had been missing for 7 years had slotted right back in with the family as though she’d never been gone, a cat named Nev responded to his name and ran to his owner 2 years after disappearing, while another seemed very apprehensive on returning home after 12 years.
It would be fair to assume that the likelihood of a cat remembering their owners after extended absences would be impacted by a number of factors, including:
- the strength of their bond to their human
- whether the cat is social or more attached to just a few people
- where they were/what happened to them during their time away
- how long they knew the person before being apart
- whether it is the cat that has been gone, or the human
If an owner has been away for an extended period of time, their cat is more likely to remember them when they are surrounded by familiar scents and places, whereas a cat that has been missing will have been immersed in different smells, people, and places.
Essentially, without being able to ask our cats, we cannot know for sure if they are retaining memories of a person and their relationship to them, or just responding to a familiar scent. In humans, there is known to be a strong link between memory and smell, and given that cats have a much more powerful sense of smell than humans, it is possible, even likely, that familiar scents will reach through the years to help our feline friends remember places and people. Exactly how long that memory lasts is impossible to measure, and will likely vary between individuals.
Do Cats Miss Their Owners?
A cat’s change in behavior in the absence of their owner may be mistaken as the cat missing the person, but that is not entirely the case. Changes in behavior can include excessive fawning, destroying of furniture, or relieving itself in inappropriate areas of the house.
Cats are creatures of habit, and they may become anxious or stressed if changes for example if they are left alone or an unknown human suddenly shows up. This is often interpreted as them missing their owner. Although cats may or may not miss their humans, that does not mean they are not happy in their presence.
Final Takeaway
Cats do have short-term and long-term memories they encode and retain information through association and repetition.
With their lengthened long-term memory span, cats can remember a person’s face for several years. Because of their associative memory, it is important to share pleasant experiences with your cats to ensure that they remember you in a positive manner.
Also see:
- Will Your Cat Miss You If You Give Them Away? (Explained)
- Do Cats Remember Who Their Mother Is? (and Vice Versa)
Featured Image Credit: Elisa Putti, Shutterstock
