by Kevin J. Putnam

Created on: August 06, 2008   Last Updated: March 02, 2010

To understand a cat's memory a lot of observation and measurement must take place. Conditions must be set up and controlled to be able to sort out the variables that effects a cat's memory. Memory, along with emotion, are complex processes that interact with one another in both humans and in cats. There is a lot of similarity between the physical make-up of the cat's brain and a human brain. So, in a sense, the more understanding of our own memory reveals some of the mysteries about cat's memory and vice versa.

It is suggested that an emotional event is what strengthens memory in most animals, including cats. If a cat has a confrontation with another cat and there is some emotions stirred up, fear and anger for example, there is a higher probability that those two cats will remember each other. This is not a controlled laboratory setting, but careful observation can open some doors of inquiry about how a cat's memory functions. Knowing how a cat's memory functions leads to some suggestive insight into a cat's mind. Behind those strange-shaped eyes lies a very active center of emotion, memory and thoughts, which careful observation in a home or natural setting can reveal.

Cats dream when they sleep, their paw's twitch, their eye movements increase, vocal activity takes place. Knowing that a cat dreams we can take a guess at what they are dreaming about. It will be a generalized guess, such as if the cats hair stands slightly on end, their paws twitch and there is something like a growling noise being emitted, a pretty good guess would be that cat is processing some sort of fearful emotional event that happened in its life. Such as fighting with a dog, or another cat.

Once a "guess" has been established about what the cat is dreaming about, then how the cat's memory prioritizes experiences can be seen. It is in the order of importance of the emotional event that shows how the cat has organized some aspect of their experience. Dreams can reveal some of that hierarchy that the cat uses as to which memory to include and act on.

When a cat awakens and starts processing environmental information, it is important to again, observe the cat, and realize that since this is not a controlled environment where confounds can be kept at a minimum that some of the interpretations we have of what we think the cat is remembering, or how the cat is remembering, can be open to interpretation.

It is in our own subjective interpretation of how the cat is remembering or why the cat

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