Can A Cat Remember Its Owner's Name After 5 Years? This Is According To The Study

Illustration of how strong memory is and can cats remember their owners (Unsplash/Michael Sum)

YOGYAKARTA – A new study conducted in Japan shows that cats remember not only their name but also the names of other cats and their surnames based on how long they lived together, the number of people and what animals they lived with.

A study at Kyoto University reported by Plant Based News, Tuesday, April 26, investigated whether cats know their own surname. Researchers showed photos of 48 cats that were pets or living in cat cafes to other familiar cats. At the same time when showing the photo, the researcher said the real name of the cat being photographed or the fake name. Next, they showed a new group of 26 cat pictures of the humans they lived in.

Illustration of how strong memory is and can cats remember their owners (Unsplash/Paul Hanaoka)

Both parts of the experiment showed that cats knew the names of other cats and humans. When a fake name was given, the cats would stare at the image longer, which the researchers said indicated confusion. For fellow cats, the gaze on the photo is longer.

Factors that affect a cat's ability to remember the name of the 'human family' they live with include the length of time they have lived together and the number of people they have lived with. The longer a cat lives with a family, the easier it will be for them to remember the names of the humans and cats in that family. But researchers also found that the more people in the family, the easier it was for cats to remember names.

But the researchers also found that the more people in the family, the easier it was for cats to remember names. They speculated that this might be because in extended families, they had more opportunities to hear names being called.

So how long does it take for a cat to remember its owner's name? According to scientific research, cats have an average short-term memory of 16 hours which is known as episodic memory. This means that your cat will likely remember you 16 hours after meeting you for the first time. According to Gilbert, a wildlife researcher reported by Hyaenidae, cats' memories of their owners depend on how old they were when they first lived with you. Kittens won't remember you after 4 years. But a 2 year old cat will remember its owner more closely.

A cat's long-term memory is 200 times stronger than a dog's. Studies show that cats can remember for as long as 10 years but are highly selective. In short, they will remember something that is favorable to them. Cats will remember their owners, who feed and care for them. In addition, they will also really remember the person who bothered them.