Seeing cats reunite with their owners after being apart for a long time can be incredibly moving. Their associative memory allows them to remember where they received food and shelter, so even years later, they recognize their owners as sources of food, safety, and affection.
Essentially, cats do seem to remember their owners after years of separation. But what about their feline relatives?
When it comes to recognizing their relatives, the answer is less clear. Most likely, the answer is no. Cats don’t seem to recognize their relatives, not even their mothers. When kittens are separated from their mothers, they gradually lose their memory of her. The same goes for their siblings and father.
Interestingly, when cat siblings meet again, their natural instinct is to fight. However, female cats do seem to remember their male relatives well enough to avoid mating with them.
Regardless of this, witnessing a reunion between a father and son, regardless of the species, is always a touching moment.
In the following video, daddy cat William is reunited with his son, Alfonso, when the kitten is just a month and a half old. Their interaction is incredibly cute.
At first, as William approaches the kitten, Alfonso backs off, intimidated by the larger, unfamiliar cat. Gradually, they start getting closer, sniffing and touching each other. It’s as if they’re slowly trying to familiarize themselves with one another by exploring each other’s scent and presence until they no longer feel threatened.
Eventually, a toy is introduced, but both cats seem more interested in each other than in the new object. As they become more comfortable, the kitten starts playing with his father’s tail and paws before turning his attention to the toy, clearly enjoying the chase.
These poor kitties were rescued from an animal cruelty case where they were starved, locked in cages with inches of feces, and received no water or food. Now, these cats need your help!
Father and son appear to be forming a strong bond. They relax together and play with their toy as if they’ve known each other for a while.
Throughout this time, daddy William shows no aggression towards his son. This likely has to do with the timing of their introduction, which happened between 6 and 8 weeks after birth. Research suggests that if the introduction had occurred earlier, the kitten might have been at risk of being attacked by his own father. Male cats sometimes do this to keep the mother’s attention focused on them rather than on the kittens.