Do They Know If We Have Had Them Since A Kitten ?

random thought: I’ve had Gracie since she was 7 weeks old if that. Is she aware I’ve been her ‘mummy’ from kinda the start ..is there a difference between when you adopt a cat latter or early in their life ? Do they know ?

I'd say that yes, they know, but does it make a difference? ...depends on the cat, I think...

I think I want her to know I’m doing my best and have always done so . I told my partner at the time I wanted her when she was tiny and bit him., think he would have kept looking . I took her with me when I had to leave home; I turned down a place as couldn’t take her and hopefu fingers crossed I’ve found us a new forever home. She’s laid here sleeping and I know cats are not supposed to care however I’d love her to know I’ve had her since she was a fur ball and that’s it now . Feeling sentimental

She knows - sometimes it really feels like it would be great to be able to tell them what all we do for them, but at the end of the day, they know - they can feel it.

My fur baby

My first thought when I read the question was "Do they not think they are still kittens?"
Some of our cats came to us as adults who had lived a completely different life before we met them. Some of our cats I have literally known from the moment they were born. They all give and receive affection freely, making me feel loved every day.

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daisyd - Furballsmom is correct - Gracie knows. Kittens are born without vision, and as such, depend upon three things to survive - raw instinct, implicit memory and explicit memory. It's instinct which leads them to suckle, and implicit memory which brings them back. Without Mom's stimulation, kittens can't eliminate, and the ability is learned (encoded), stored, and later - via explicit memory - retrieved for use.

In general, few Humans can stretch back in their memories much beyond sixteen to eighteen months of age; they're not 'required' to, since all their senses worked at birth, and as such, they had no need for the early development of recall and retrieval. Not so with kittens - without early memoric development, they'll perish, and hence their ability to 'remember' data and events reaches back almost limitlessly - to their earliest hours of Life.

Gracie knows, remembers and undoubtedly returns every ounce of Love you give her. Think of her as a furry little computer who sheds.


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I think they know. Our shelter also boards pets, and often the boarders that were at the shelter as tiny kittens are generally more affectionate with the people who took care of them then.

That's not to say that adult cats can't become very attached to their caregivers.

When my husband and I first got married we got an eight week old kitten. We had him for a year and unfortunately faced some really hard financial times and had to move to a petfree apartment. We gave our cat to my sister. He acclimated wonderfully into thier family and has had a great life. However still 12 years later when I visit he hears my voice and comes to say “hi” my sister says he doesn’t do this with any other guests. He obviously remembers me. That being said some of my best cats have been adult rescues.

daisyd said:

...Is she aware I’ve been her ‘mummy’ from kinda the start.....

Click to expand...

The answers to questions regarding cat cognition are rarely straightforward, and this is no exception. The answer is no, they are not aware, at least not in the manner that we are aware of our early caregivers. However (and its a BIG however) the full story is more complex, and to my mind, much sweeter

There is no research that supports that cats recall us in the way we remember people (face, name, time, relation.) Cats don't exist in or experience the world the same way we do. Cats do strongly habituate to those around them, they internalize the sound of your voice, the inflection and tone of your voice, your habits (when you sleep, when you play with them, when you feed them, etc.) Cats associate you to the kindness you offer them: the play sessions, the petting, the naps together, the reassurance during a thunderstorm, the food you make magically appear, the little extra treats etc. They have a much better sense of smell than we do and this plays a big role in their view of the world too: they know how you smell when you are sick, well, depressed, angry etc.

In other words, they remember you by all of the things you are to them. They are not burdened by labels like "mother" or "brother," they know you for what you are, and that is the basis of their bond with you. If you were with them at the start of their life, then they formed their entire view of people based on you, they "compare" everyone to you. That will never change. As the first human caregiver they bonded to, you are the basis for all of their future dealings with humans. You are deeply familiar to them in a way that you will never be able to experience or fully understand (we are too busy with labels and specific memories to fully appreciate someone.)

They don't have to "remember" you because who you are is a part of them

Cats can bond to a new person, and that can be a very strong bond. But it is not the first bond, and it can take years to form. It is likely that the more traits you have in common with the previous bond, the easier it is for the cat to form the new bond.