My cat, Gabriel, doesn’t recognize me, initially, when we are both in a room of the apartment with which he does not associate me. Then he’ll smell me, after which, he’ll recognize me and associate the place with me. What is going on, and what do I mean by being associated with a certain room?
I spend a lot of time with him in the main bedroom and the living room. When I am in bed or sitting in a certain chair in one of these rooms he’ll immediately recognize me. If this is not the case, he is more cautious, initially.
This implies that cats recognize people partly by the circumstances under which they find themselves. We become part of the whole and whether we are judged as friendly depends on whether the cat recognizes the whole scene and remembers it as non-hostile.
That is how I read this behavior. It is interesting also that when he comes into the kitchen to eat he does not see the new food in the bowl. I have to point to it and he’ll only use his sense of smell to find food in the kitchen. This is from a few feet away.
I don’t believe this is significant but it may indicate an eyesight problem, which may be linked to what I have described as his way of recognizing me.
However, I have a feeling that all cats recognize a person as friendly or not partly based on the circumstances and environment in which they find us.
If I am correct, why should this be?
Well, I am not sure. However, I believe it is linked to hard-wired behavior concerning home range and territory. The cat has a good memory for his territory. He can spot changes and strangers within the territory. The memory is: stranger + my territory = trouble.
There is a natural link between the environment and who is in it. This linkage between animal and the background results in the cat less able to isolate the animal or person from the background.
However, over time a domestic cat associates the whole home with his/her cat caretaker and therefore the condition fades.
As Gabriel had a semi-feral early life he may be more sensitive to friendly versus hostile animals and so this interesting behaviour is more pronounced.
This is just a theory. Have you experienced this?
Totally agree with you Dee that cats recognise friends/foe more by scent than by eyesight. (Explains the hostile reception many cats get from other cats in the home when they arrive back from the vets smelling different.)
They certain rely strongly on sound too for identification purposes. When I looked after the colony of stray/feral cats in Cyprus they recognised the sound of my car engine or the jangling of my door keys as the dinner bell being rung. My own cat Sophie disliked the lady who lived in the apartment below us and I knew when she’d returned home (whether on foot or by car) because Sophie would start growling (lol).
I’ve always understood their vision is not best suited to daytime or bright lights and the placement of their eyes means they literally cannot see what’s right under their nose.
I see a bit of Gabriel in what you say. I don’t think they lose that wild cat uncertainty to be honest. It is in the DNA and a bit of a early feral life and it becomes visible.
Your comment is very interesting DW because it chimes with my experiences. It is almost as if when you are both out of your usual environment he becomes unsure despite being completely sure and relaxed normally.
I really do think there is a link in the mind of the cat between the person and the place and together they create an identity.
I never had any reason to believe that cats relied on sight in deciphering if we are friend or foe at all.
I believe that they rely on scent and, possibly, voice.
I think it can become very confusing when they are out of their element. Hearing us may cause anxiety. I think that they have a need to know that we are “staying put”. We are their stability and they want us in familiar places.
You should have seen Sealy in the first months. He’d eventually come to the front of his cage and if we walked over to get him out he’d run to the back like he’d changed his mind. And he still enjoys walking the counters and “finding” food. We always leave a few bites of veggies in the pan for him. Its likely the way he had to feed to survive when he was a feral.
Even after 3 years I have to be careful not to stare at our Renny or he’ll run under the bed and hide like he did in the beginning.
Indeed. Marvin is a cat who I can have my way with in any shape or form. Born feral, he is a complete sweetie as a domestic cat, and a fine companion. However, I sometimes see him in my elderly neighbor’s yard when delivering something yummy to her. He recognizes my voice when I call, but freaks if I walk towards him, as if I was a stranger. He eventually follows me home, calling me loudly once we get to his home territory. I don’t think I could pick him up if I found him away from home. He wouldn’t let me. I have attributed it to his eyesight, but it is probably more than that, as you suggest.