I often wondered about a cats memory, I've only been away from mine a few days, however for single people being called up to go to Iraq for example can be gone a year or more, would their cat remember them when they came home?
i wouldnt really know, though my kitten that i got about 2 years ago, i had to give to my mum for personal reasons, and when i go round to my mums, she doesnt even know who i am, in fact she doesnt even acknowledge me!
Well, Ho Ho remembered me even though I hadn't seen him at all for three months. As soon as I got him home and out of the carrier he was begging me to pick him up, which was our little "thing".
My best friend's cat remembered me even though I hadn't been there in over six months. As soon as she heard my voice she came running, and my friend was really surprised because she never ran for anything.
It probably depends on the cat and the type of relationship you have with it, but yeah, I'd say it's possible.
Mine certainly remember me after 3/4 weeks away. But when I came to live out here I gave my UK cat, Cinders, to my Mom, and she does not really remember me now, though she lived with me for over two years. After I have been staying there a couple days, she comes to sleep on my bed, but I think she would do that to any visitor.
i'm going travelling for 2 months so it really worries me that Mav and the kitten wont remember me when i get back
Mav remembered me when i got back from a week away but was very annoyed! and she managed to find her way home and back to her spot on the bed when she was missing for just under a week.
I left 2 cats in the care of my brother in law for 9 months while moving many years ago. My husband was separated from those 2 plus 4 others that stayed with me during that time. They clearly remembered us and picked back up as if we were never away from them. We also visit friends that live 600 miles away a couple times a year and their cats seem to remember us with each visit. I think they remember you, particularly if you lived with them for a long time.
I saw a bit on a news report and it showed her petting one of her cats. It looks like they have baskets by one of her sinks.
The longest I've been seperated from a cat is the 2 months Minx (RB) was gone. He remembered how to get home and where the dinner plate was, and he curled up in my arms after he ate.
I'm sure they do. I only get to the U.S. once a year, at most, and my family's pets (dogs and cats) always remember me, even if they haven't seen me for two years. Cats sometimes like to express their outrage at being "left", though, by quite obviously ignoring you.
I'm pretty sure they do. They know voices, faces, even the sound of your footsteps as you approach the door (or so I've been told).
I was away from Snickers & Dusty for nine YEARS (lived with my ex husband) and even though Snickers was a tad wary at first, I swear he remembers me. Certain things I say that I said way back then, certain tones in my voice, even the way he sleeps on me in the same spot he slept on me way back then.
the longest I've been away from Buffy was 3 days, and Willow 2 weeks. When Buffy was 4 1/2 months old and Willow 2 1/2 years old, the whole family went to BC (British Columbia) for a funeral for 3 days, and when we returned, Buffy came racing from my sister's bedroom, spinning and slipping all over the floor, desperate to come see us. I was so hopeful that she was coming to me, that she remembered her momma, but she ran right past me to my mom
. Willow just calmly walked out of my sister's room (they had been in there because they were watching our car arrive through the bedroom window) and had a "So, what'd you get me?" look on her face. We had put out something like 5 bowls of food and water (more than enough for 3 days) and when we came back, all were empty. I have suspicions that both cats ate it all within a day or two in misery ("Where are the humans? Are they coming back? They left us, didn't they?!").
Me, mom, and my brother went to Ontario in 2002, when Willow was a year old, and we stayed for 2 weeks. When we came back, I don't think Willow cared, because my sister and dad were home with her. Plus, she's not one to show emotion unless she gains something out of it, lol
As for Jake (my dog), its the same kind of hysterical "you're home!!!!" dance every time, whether we're gone for 10 minutes or 2 weeks