Cat reintroduction

Question
Hi Jessica,

I have two good natured, fairly normal cats; one is a neutered tom and the other a spayed queen. She had a litter of four females last October, all of which went to excellent homes. Now when I gave two of them to a young family in January I said " If you need anyone to baby-sit them when you go on holidays, just drop them off", well they called me on it and are going on holidays overseas for two months.  I now have to reintroduce the cats to each other. I have no illusions about cat memory or maternal bonds and I know they will probably hiss and scowl for a while, but do you think there will be some familiarity? Should I follow normal cat introduction procedures and isolate them in one room for a few days, or can I just let them roam and hope they have some sort of memory of my house and each other.


Answer
Hi Philip,

Some cats don't need a long introduction period, even if they are perfect strangers with each other.  So you might be lucky enough to introduce without a terrible amount of time or effort.

Whether they will be familiar or not is controversial.  Some evidence suggests cats have a memory span of 3-6 months.  However, when it comes to recognizing other pets and people, I think their memory span is longer.  Cats go mostly by scent for identification.  They have a special cluster of cells, called a Jacobson's organ, which allows them to store the scents of people and animals for a long time, possibly even years.  While they may still feel nervous, I would be surprised if these kitties have completely forgotten each other.

I would, however, recommend keeping the two younger ones in isolation for a couple days.  If their memory span of places only lasts up to 6 months, they'll probably feel uncertain about their surroundings, and being limited to a small space will make them most comfortable.