This might seem like a daft question but I wondered how long term a cats memory is ? Do they memorise things or do they remember by smell ?

The reason being is that we had to put our 8 year old bengal Izzy into a cattery while we went on holiday, much against our will but we were left with no other choice. Anyhow when we went to pick her up
from the cattery I think the whole experience had been too much for her as she was crying/screaming/shouting (lol).....very very vocal I guess is the only way to describe it......... it felt like she didn't know where she was coming back to as she seem terrified at first and really didn't want to be left on her own as she kept crying if she couldn't see us. After a day she seems to be calming down now but I am very interested to know if cats do forget where they live and their owners. Also she's been terribly hungry since coming home so either the cattery didn't feed her or is it possible for her to fret and not eat much ?

Awwww bless, it sounds like the whole cattery thing really wasn't particularly pleasant for Izzy!

Some cats take to it and some don't, if you're satisfied that the cattery cared for Izzy as they should have, then i'd put it down to her having had a traumatic experience - poor Izzy!

She's possibly eating like a horse now to make up for the week she was in the cattery and was too stressed to even think about eating!

I believe that cats attach themselves to places rather than people, however, because you were only gone for a relatively short period of time, she wouldn't have had time to settle in her new 'home' - the cattery - and she would have been delighted to see you when you returned! (Or should that be smell you? lol)

It's often said that you can move new owners in to a house and the cat will quite happily stay where they are! Also, cats have been known to travel hundreds of miles, on foot, back to an old home.

That's why we have to keep new pets in for several weeks because they'd just go straight back to their old residence, never mind whether the house is empty, or their 'owners' are 200 miles away in the new house!

So..whether they actually have a 'memory' such as we do, is pretty hazy.

Personally, i believe they remember what they want to remember!

Yes I can believe that of Oska..............they are your bestest friends when it comes to feeding times !!!

I just really wanted to know if any studies had been done on Bengal for how 'intellegent or not' they are compared to a moggie cat and whether they do miss you when your not around...........other than feeding them lol.



Cheers
Kaz