How Long Do Cats Remember? 10 Key Scientific Findings

Quick Answer

Cats remember events best when the location is the same as where the event happened.
Research shows that cats can remember their owners’ voices and make informed choices based on past experiences.
Web search results will tell you cats can remember things for up to 16 hours—but that dates back to a book on animal psychology published in 1964. Current research does not back up the “16-hours” theory.

Some of the top-ranking articles on Google will tell you that cats’ short-term memory lasts about 16 hours.

When I investigated, that particular detail seemed to date back to a book on animal psychology published in 1964.

More recent studies tell us something quite different.

Anecdotally, I can tell you that our super streetwise tabby cat Spencer once got lost and couldn’t remember how to get back home.

We eventually found him 30 miles away, 3 months later.

In Spencer’s defense, we had just moved house, so he was in a new, unfamiliar environment.

Interestingly though, he remembered us, his relieved owners, instantly.

Even though he looked quite different after all the weight he had lost, we knew it was him because of the affectionate way he greeted us.

On the other hand, when we adopted cat sisters Rainbow and Jasmine a year apart, they most definitely did not remember each other.

So it’s difficult to make a blanket statement about the length of a cat’s memory.

A Scientific Overview Of Cat Memory: 10 Key Findings

Several scientific studies have been conducted to better understand the memory capacity of cats, and some interesting findings have emerged.

#1. Location Counts

Cats remember events best when the location is the same as when the event happened.

So if something happened in the kitchen, they’re more likely to remember it when they’re in the kitchen.

This tendency matches a cat’s ability to use spatial information effectively, which means they are good at remembering where they hide things (Lewis & Berntsen, 2020).

#2. Social Interactions

Cats have also been shown to remember interactions with other animals or people.

This may be influenced by the environment in which they live, given that they probably spend significant time interacting with humans and other pets (Lewis & Berntsen, 2020).

Cats are also likely to remember whether an encounter is positive or negative.

For example, if they have a negative experience with another animal or person, they may remember that and avoid that individual in the future.

On a positive note, I once fostered two kittens and we developed a strong bond.

After they had been adopted, I frequently went to visit them in their forever home and they were always thrilled to see me.

This anecdotal evidence suggests that cats can remember their previous owners.

At least for a while.

Two white and tortoiseshell cat sisters sitting part — Rainbow (left) and Jasmine were rescued and adopted a year apart and did not remember each other © The Cat and Dog House

#3. Finding Hidden Objects

In a study, when cats were tested to find a hidden object, their accuracy in locating it decreased quickly within the first 30 seconds.

But even after this initial decline, they were still better than random at finding the hidden object within the first minute of the test (Fiset & Doré, 2005).

#4. Remembering Disappearing Objects

Another study observed cats in a situation where an object appeared and disappeared in two different places.

There were two versions of the experiment: one where the object disappeared and reappeared instantly, and another where there was a 20-second gap between disappearances.

The cats couldn’t directly see the object moving between the two locations.

It turns out, the cats did better when there was a short wait (20 seconds).

In the quick scenario, they seemed confused, searching both places equally.

But with a short wait, they smartly went to the final spot more often.

This suggests that cats use their memory of locations when searching for things (Goulet, et al., 1996).

#5. Object Permanence

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight.

Cats can find an object behind a screen—but only if they see it being moved behind the screen.

If the object is transferred from a container to behind a screen without them seeing it, they tend to search near the container instead of the real hiding spot.

This suggests cats only remember and act on position changes they see directly, and may find it challenging to remember or even understand invisible movements (Goulet, et al., 1994).

#6. Recalling Obstacles

When humans and cats walk, they rely on short-term visual memory to navigate obstacles.

Humans, for instance, focus on an obstacle a step or two before reaching it, and losing sight of it during the step doesn’t affect their accuracy.

Similarly, walking cats look a couple of steps ahead and can continue navigating obstacles accurately for about four steps, even if visual input is suddenly removed.

To explore this, researchers stopped cats after their front legs crossed an obstacle, leaving their hind legs to continue.

After lowering the obstacle during a distraction period, they found that cats remembered the size and location of the obstacle between their front and hind legs for an impressively long time—up to at least 10 minutes (McVea & Pearson, 2007).

Autumn scene with large tabby cat sitting on fallen tree trunk in front of lake — Spencer grew up on the streets in Dubai and is extremely streetwise but got disoriented in an unfamiliar environment after we’d moved house and couldn’t find his way back home. Luckily we found him three months later, 30 miles away © The Cat and Dog House

#7. Scent Memory

Cats have a keen sense of smell and kittens, separated from their mothers at weaning, retain a long-lasting memory of their mother’s body odor.

This new research suggests that kittens form enduring memories of their mother’s scent, and that their mothers maintain a distinctive, stable odor signature their adult offspring can recognize – despite age and reproductive changes (Szenczi et al., 2021).

#8. Owner’s Voice

Research shows that cats can remember their owners’ voices.

When people communicate with their pets, they tend to use a distinct tone or style of speech, aligning more with the way they communicate with little children than with adults.

Researchers tested how cats responded to “cat-directed speech” (CDS) vs. “adult-directed speech” (ADS).

They found cats can distinguish speech CDS from ADS when it comes from their owners but not when it comes from strangers (de Mouzon et al., 2022).

#9. Single Event

A study explored whether cats can remember and use information from a single past event.

Cats were given a food-exploration task where they were exposed to four containers and allowed to eat from two.

After a 15-minute delay when the cats were removed, they returned to find all the containers replaced with empty ones.

Surprisingly, although their initial choice was random, the returning cats explored containers they hadn’t already eaten from for longer than those they had.

This suggests they were not influenced by a simple association with a positive experience, such as eating.

Instead, their behavior implies that the cats were able to recall and use information about “what” (the content of the containers) and “where” (the location of the containers) from a memory formed during their single past experience.

In other words, the cats demonstrated a more sophisticated memory process, going beyond a basic link to a pleasurable event, showing a capacity to recall and use specific details from their past encounter with the containers (Takagi et al., 2017).

Ginger and white cat sniffing black cat on dirt track next to long grass — Studies show that cats remember social interactions with humans and other animals, and can also remember and use information learned from past experiences © The Cat and Dog House

#10. Aging

In a study with 36 cats aged 1–15 years old, cognitive function was examined using a spatial learning task with motor function control.

Surprisingly, there was no significant age-related decline in cognitive function.

Initial findings revealed no age differences in locating food rewards among young, adult, senior, and geriatric cats.

Speed and success in learning tasks were consistent across age groups.

However, as cats aged, there was an increase in working memory errors and a decrease in reference memory errors, suggesting specific age-related changes in memory processes.

Motor function remained unaffected by age.

Senior Cat Memory

Older cats may experience memory decline and memory loss, which can be attributed to feline cognitive dysfunction (FCD).

FCD is a condition that affects a cat’s cognitive abilities, including their memory, and is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans.

Senior cats may experience a decline in their brain cells, which can affect their memory retention.

White cat with some gray markings standing on forest trail watching — Rescue cat Jethro remembered the bad experiences from his past and was terrified of people but loved being with other cats © The Cat and Dog House

Types Of Memory In Cats

Broadly speaking, memory can be broken down into short-term and long-term memory.

Short-Term Memories

Short-term memory is the capacity to remember a small amount of information for short periods of time.

The brain keeps the information in an active state, so it is readily available to complete a specific task.

Long-Term Memories

Just like humans, a cat’s long-term memory involves the storage of information over extended periods of time.

It has a much larger capacity than short-term memory and is responsible for retaining knowledge, experiences, and skills acquired over time.

Long-term memory is not a single entity, but rather a complex set of mental functions and responses, including:

Semantic Memory

Semantic memory helps cats remember things like where they live, the location of their food bowl, and the sound of their owner’s voice.

Episodic Memory

Episodic memories help cats store details about specific experiences, like what happened, how it made them feel, and what they saw or heard.

Procedural Memory

Procedural memory is about remembering how to do things, like using a litter box or negotiating a tricky fence.

This type of memory focuses on motor skills and practicing them until the cat can do them automatically without having to think.

Associative Memory

When a cat experiences an event paired with a strong emotional response, such as joy, fear, or excitement, the cat’s brain makes a connection between the event and how they feel at the time.

A traumatic experience or negative memory can have a lasting emotional impact on a cat’s behavior.

For example, our very fearful cat Jethro was rescued from a bad hoarding situation and was forever terrified of people based on his early negative experiences, which left him with bad memories.

Working Memory

Working memory is the ability to retain and manipulate information in the short term. It is crucial for problem-solving, decision making, and learning new tasks.

Spatial Memory

Spatial memory involves the recollection of locations, landmarks, and the layout of an area to help cats navigate through their environment.

Cats use their spatial memory to find their way back to familiar places.

Final Thoughts

While we still don’t know for sure how long a cat’s memory is, we do know that cats display complex memory processes and have shown the ability to recall and use specific details from their past experiences.

So the next time your feline friend remembers where you have hidden their favorite toy or treat, don’t be surprised – they have a pretty good memory after all!

Resources

Activation Of Locations In Working Memory In Cats – Sonia Goulet, Franç Y. Doré, & Rachel Lehotkay
Ageing Does Not Significantly Affect Performance In A Spatial Learning Task In The Domestic Cat (Felis Silvestris Catus) – Sandra Mccune, Joy Stevenson, Laura Fretwell, Amy Thompson, & Daniel Simon Mills
Are You My Mummy? Long-Term Olfactory Memory Of Mother’s Body Odour By Offspring In The Domestic Cat – Péter Szenczi, Andrea Urrutia, Robyn Hudson, & Oxána Bánszegi
Discrimination Of Cat-Directed Speech From Human-Directed Speech In A Population Of Indoor Companion Cats (Felis Catus) – Charlotte De Mouzon, Marine Gonthier & Gérard Leboucher
Duration Of Cats’ (Felis Catus) Working Memory For Disappearing Objects – Sylvain Fiset & François Y. Doré
Object Permanence And Working Memory In Cats (Felis Catus) – Sonia Goulet, Franç Y. Doré, & Robert Rousseau
Pet Memoirs: The Characteristics Of Event Memories In Cats And Dogs, As Reported By Their Owners – A. Lewis & D. Berntsen
Stepping Of The Forelegs Over Obstacles Establishes Long-Lasting Memories In Cats – David A. Mcvea & Keir G. Pearson
Use Of Incidentally Encoded Memory From A Single Experience In Cats – Saho Takagi, Mana Tsuzuki, Hitomi Chijiiwa, Minori Arahori, Arii Watanabe, Atsuko Saito, & Kazuo Fujita