Cats have always had a reputation for being very independent and not very affectionate animals, which is why many people think that these felines do not feel too much affection towards their guardians and that they would not be able to recognize them either after spending some time apart or if they are surrounded by other people, but is this really true?
In this article on our site we talk about the ability of cats to recognize people, we tell you how they manage to distinguish their guardians from other human beings and we help you to know if your cat really knows who are you. Do you want to know if cats recognize people or not? Do not miss it!
Do cats tell people apart?
Despite what you may believe about the self-interested personality and cantankerous temperament of cats, the answer to this question is very clear: yes, cats they are perfectly capable of differentiating some people from others and, therefore, of knowing who their tutors are.
First of all, this is possible because cats create an emotional bond with the people with whom they live and who are part of your social group. Although they may seem less expressive than dogs and, therefore, it is more difficult for us to interpret their behavior at times, anyone who lives or has lived with a cat knows that the vast majority of them are, in fact, very affectionate animals. those who like to spend time resting or interacting with their tutors, with whom they create a close and special relationship. We talk about it in more detail in this other article: "Are Cats Affectionate?"
Similarly, cats also individually recognize each of the people or animals that live in the same household and can generate a different bond with each one of them Depending on the relationship between the cat and each guardian, it is possible that the feline varies its behavior depending on who it is with at any given time.
How do cats recognize people?
We already know that cats recognize people, but how do they do it? Cats, like dogs, are guided more by smell and hearing than by sight, and the same thing happens when it comes to differentiating between some people and others. Next, we analyze how the cat uses its main senses in the recognition of other individuals.
View
Felines have a vision adapted to hunting, which means that they see much better than us in low light conditions and that they are able to detect movement with great precision. However, their color vision is poorer than that of human beings and they are not able to distinguish as many details as we can, which means that they have difficulty recognizing people just by looking at themDiscover in this other post How cats see.
However, cats are very observant and can easily learn the meaning of our gestures, facial expressions and body postures, allowing them to respond to them quickly and efficiently.
Ear
Cats are able to point their ears in almost any direction to locate the source of a sound and have a very fine and well-developed sense of hearing. This, together with their memory and learning capacity, allows them to remember and perfectly identify the tone of voice of their tutors, distinguishing it from that of other people, they can even recognize them by the way they walk just by listening to the sound of their footsteps!
A study carried out in Japan in 2013 [1] revealed that cats react more intensely to the voice of their guardians even if they are out of sight, becoming alert and orienting their head and ears in the direction from which the sound is coming. Now, even if they recognize us by our tone of voice, it does not necessarily mean that they will come to us when we call them or that they will obey our orders. Cats recognize people, yes, but this is very different from actually doing everything we want.
Smell
Although we are not even aware of it, each person has a characteristic odor which is a very intense hallmark for our cat, who, with his highly developed sense of smell, is able to detect it, process it and store it in his memory for a long time. This implies that cats can also differentiate people from others through their smell and that they perfectly recognize their guardians after briefly sniffing them.
How do I know if a cat recognizes me?
If you have ever wondered if your cat is aware of who you are and, therefore, if he would be able to recognize you after spending time apart or when there are more people around, these are some signs that could tell you that, indeed, your cat recognizes you and is happy to see you:
- Walks or runs towards you with its tail held high: the position of the cat's tail gives a lot of information about the emotions it is feeling the animal If when your furry friend sees or hears you, he approaches you keeping his tail completely straight, vertical and not bristling, a good sign, it means that he has recognized you and is happy to see you. If you want to know more about the interpretations that a high tail can have in cats, we recommend you read this other article: "What does it mean when a cat has a high tail?".
- Meows when it sees you: cats meow to communicate with their guardians and get their attention, so it is common that, As soon as your cat recognizes you, it approaches you softly meowing and even purring. However, with strangers they tend to be more cautious and generally remain silent before them, very attentive to any movement or sign of danger.
- He rubs his face against you: Once the feline gets to where you are, he will most likely sniff you to make sure it is you and gather olfactory information, then rub its face and flanks against your ankles or any other part of your body in a movement known as facial marking. With this greeting, what he does is impregnate his own scent on you to create a familiar atmosphere, which indicates that he feels calm and at ease to meet you again, an important member of his social group.
- Lies on his back: After performing the facial marking, your cat may end up lying on the ground next to you, romping and exposing his gut. In this position, the feline is very vulnerable, so he only does it before those people he recognizes, with whom he has a bond of friendship and in whom he fully trusts
Seeing these behaviors, we not only know that they recognize us, but also that cats know that we love them, and we talk about it in this other post: "Why do cats love a person more? ".
