Do Cats Remember People And Their Previous Families

If you’ve ever adopted a cat or had to re-home one yourself. You’ve probably asked the question do cats remember people??

Do Cats Remember people.

Do Cats Remember People??

The answer is yes of course! but the next question is for how long?
A recent study proved that cat’s short term memory, although better than dogs is still not great.

So if a cat was with a person or family for a very short period of time, then the likely answer is no they won’t remember them long term.

Birman Cat

Do cats remember people??

Do Cats Remember People forever?

This is a much trickier question. There have not been many studies done on a cat’s long term memory.


It is believed that if a caring connection was formed for a longer period of time 6months +, then it is likely a cat will be remembering a person for much longer.

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Black Cat In Ladies Arms

Do Cats Remember Being Mis-treated?

For those of you who have adopted a cat who was previously abused or mistreated. The likelihood of them remembering the abuse is believed to be high.

It all depends on how long the abuse went on for. How painful and traumatic the situation was.

As I said earlier 6 months + of a caring relationship is enough to stick with a cat’s long term memory.

However negative relationships have a nasty habit of sticking with us and unfortunately animals, and including cats more easily.

Cats remembering their abusive pasts can lead to behavioral issues and fears of strange things so be patient with them.


It is unknown how long a cat’s long term memory Is but it is believed with time these behaviors will improve and memories will fade.

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cats are the best pets

Do Cats Remember Peoples Faces?

Although cats have excellent visual recognition, it is not how the recognize us. They identify their close contacts and owners via smell and sounds.

Did you know cats rubbing themselves all over you, is how they mark you as theirs? Cats have ‘ scent glands’ in-between their whiskers which is why they rub themselves on furniture and people. It’s a cat’s way of marking their territory.

Most cats will identify their loved ones by the sound of their voice. So do cats remember people? Yes but their faces? Not so much.

Ever Wondered Why Cats Stare At You?

Abyssinian cat

Or Why Cats Make The Best Pets?

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