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We had a feral cat that had kittens in our shed last Spring. Two of her kittens now belong to us and are inside cats. They like to look out the window while she (or occasionally another cat) eat the food I put out. Do my cats recognize their mother through the window? I'm sure they can see her, but can they recognize her without smelling her? Do they remember her?
Momma cat seems to recognize me when she sees me watching her through the window.
Once kittens are weaned, they "leave the nest" and have no urge to reconnect with their mother. But there's no question that they'd still recognize her and she them.
My family projected human values onto cats when we decided to keep one from the litter our queen had. (We'd been bereft of feline companionship for a few months; little did we know that the young female some friends were happy to part with was expecting! ) It wasn't the smartest thing we ever did. Mother and son reached a truce, acknowledging their common territory, but you'd rarely see them in the same room. And if they were, the mom would always growl + hiss + take a half-hearted swat at her offspring. Not once would they wind up on a bed or couch or whatever to nap together.
So, it was wise to not try to keep the family united. Nature didn't intend that.
I agree with Goy. While scent plays an important part in recognition, sight is also an aspect of recognition.
I think that humans are the only creatures for whom a lifelong familial bond is expected. But even then, I'd hardly say that it is normal; I think back to my teenage years...
I have never had a cat who wanted to be around her kittens 6 months after they were born. One would actually hiss at her offspring and was constantly pissed off at having them around, another simply ignored them. Heck, cats don't even acknowledge the brother-sister bond; after 6 months, I had to deal with two not-yet-fixed siblings, the "brother" of which was constantly jumping on top of his "sister". I couldn't get those two to the vet's office quickly enough!
I can tell you Jack is all about looking out the window at anything that comes by. And, he recognizes people from outside, ignoring the mailman and running to the front door to greet family. If he is left behind, he races upstairs to an upper window and watches us from the window until we head toward the house then races back downstairs to greet us at the door. A strange cat in the yard brings a puffy tail and arched back and a little talking. Would he recognize his siblings? I can't say.
I agree with Goy. While scent plays an important part in recognition, sight is also an aspect of recognition.
I think that humans are the only creatures for whom a lifelong familial bond is expected. But even then, I'd hardly say that it is normal; I think back to my teenage years...
I have never had a cat who wanted to be around her kittens 6 months after they were born. One would actually hiss at her offspring and was constantly pissed off at having them around, another simply ignored them. Heck, cats don't even acknowledge the brother-sister bond; after 6 months, I had to deal with two not-yet-fixed siblings, the "brother" of which was constantly jumping on top of his "sister". I couldn't get those two to the vet's office quickly enough!
My two sister cats (spayed, almost a year old), get along great. They like to play and groom each other. I'm not sure if they have any concept of "sisters," though. They may just see each other as friends.
My cat lies in the kitchen window, and he recognizes and lets me know when one of his "friends" that he used to live with outside come to eat. He also recognizes either of my neighbor's cats that get out from time to time. But let a strange cat come by, it's cat fight time through the window.
He used to be an outdoor cat, and decided that he wanted to live indoors and be spoiled. According to the manager where I live, he and the other cats were left behind by former tenants about ten years ago. The friends that come by belong to the manager, and mine doesn't have much interest in going outside anymore. He likes being inside sleeping under the covers all day long, eating quality food and part of my dinner.
My two sister cats (spayed, almost a year old), get along great. They like to play and groom each other. I'm not sure if they have any concept of "sisters," though. They may just see each other as friends.
That's really funny and interesting, as I have noticed that same-sex bonds among animals are present. I actually do think that they know that they are sisters; in my aformentioned scenario, I think the male knew that the cat he was trying to make it with was his sister, he just didn't care
I have also seen a strong sister bond in dogs: my GSD and her older sister got along great when my GSD was a puppy. But then came the adolescent years and it was a different story (mostly b/c my GSD was behaving like a real stinky brat most of the time, especially to her sister ).
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) It wasn't the smartest thing we ever did. Mother and son reached a truce, acknowledging their common territory, but you'd rarely see them in the same room. And if they were, the mom would always growl + hiss + take a half-hearted swat at her offspring. Not once would they wind up on a bed or couch or whatever to nap together. 
).
