How Good is a Cat's Memory?

One morning last week, I woke to a text from my daughter: Happy Freddy day! I’d forgotten, but when I checked the date, it all came rushing back. On that same November day nine years ago, a friend had sent me an Instagram post from our local animal shelter, urgently seeking a foster family for a sick kitten. Somehow, I knew it was meant to be. I headed right over to pick her up—she was so small, she fit into the palm of my hand—and she’s been the heart of our family ever since. Sometimes, I gaze into her eyes and wonder what she remembers about the first weeks of her life, before she came to us. The shelter couldn’t tell me anything about where she’d been found, who had brought her in, or why she was alone. (In fact, they initially told me she was a boy, which is how she wound up with the name Freddy.) What would Freddy tell me, if she could?

According to Dr. Julie Hunt, a veterinary consultant for Embrace Pet Insurance, maybe not much. “It’s likely that young kittens do not form durable memories until they also reach a certain age,” she says, reminding me that humans don’t tend to remember much from our earliest years of life, either. She notes, however, that cats can probably remember things from an earlier age than we do—perhaps from just a few weeks of age. And once those feline memory banks fully come online, watch out: A cat’s capacity to remember rivals an elephant’s. “A study in big cats demonstrated that once a lion knew how to open a puzzle box, the lion could open it seven months later,” Dr. Hunt says. 

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Big cats aren’t the only ones that demonstrate big brain power in research studies. Dr. Hunt cites one in which domestic cats were shown bowls that contained food and bowls without food: The house cats remembered which bowl was which after 15 minutes. Another study found that cats purred for a longer time after being reunited with a parent who’d been away for four hours, compared with one who had only been gone for 15 minutes. 

Cat brains: They’re just like ours (sort of)

Even though Freddy was so young when she came to live with us, it’s possible she may still have some memories from her days as an abandoned kitten. Human brains are wired to recall negative experiences more vividly than positive ones —and it turns out, cat brains are the same. “Cats have excellent long-term memory, especially for things that affect their safety or comfort,” says veterinarian Dr. Ezra J. Ameis, founder of Paw Priority. “They can absolutely remember experiences like being lost, finding food in a certain spot, or being startled or yelled at. That’s part of why some cats become wary around loud voices or certain people; their brains are wired to remember and avoid potential threats.”

Traumatic memories may not be the only ones that stick, though. “Cats carry memories connected to experiences, and the stronger the emotion, the better the memory,” says Dr. Geri Katz, a veterinary advisor at Pet Honesty. “Whether the experience is positive or negative, cats will remember the feeling they had when presented with similar contextual details.” In other words, when I bring a rotisserie chicken home and start carving it up, it might spark warm memories for Freddy of all the times I’ve torn off bits of juicy breast meat and let her eat them out of my hand. 

Now that Freddy is solidly middle-aged, though, some of her memories, both good and bad, may begin to fade. Because again, just like us, cats can suffer from cognitive decline that “looks a lot like dementia in people,” Dr. Ameis says. “You might see them pacing, vocalizing at night, forgetting familiar spaces, or seeming ‘lost’ in their own home.” He recommends keeping cats on a regular schedule of playtime and mealtime, offering enrichment through toys and games, and supplements (ask your veterinarian which ones) to help keep their brains sharper for longer and maintain their quality of life. A vet visit is a good idea, in any case: Dr. Katz says that while senior cat forgetfulness can usually be chalked up to age-related brain changes, it could also be due to specific diseases like kidney disease, thyroid disease, or diabetes. 

All cats are different

When it comes to cats and memory, the bottom line is that every cat is different. “Memory varies from cat to cat, just as intelligence and personality do,” Dr. Ameis says. He points out that a cat who appears to be less than on-the-ball, memory-wise, may simply be shy. “Confident, curious cats often seem to retain experiences and routines better because they’re more engaged with their surroundings.”

Cat behaviorist Stephen Quandt has plenty of firsthand experience with cats and memory. “My blind-from-birth cat Jenny has remembered how to navigate in a house she hadn’t been in for the past six years,” he tells me. He also says cats are good at associating certain activities with the locations where they happen: “My cat Cricket goes to her catnip area when she wants me to give her catnip, and she goes to her play area when she wants to play.” He reminds me that while cats and humans may have some cognitive traits in common, we’re still very different from each other. “Cats remember things that are important or useful to them, but because they are cats and not humans, the things that they find important or useful are different than for us. Think of it this way: if it doesn’t have an impact on your cat’s life, there’s a good chance they won’t remember it.”

I find this comforting, because as much as I wish I could know what Freddy experienced before she was safely in my arms, I’m glad if she didn’t retain any traumatic memories from that time. And from here on out, I’ll focus on helping her make happy memories—one rotisserie chicken scrap at a time.