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We all know that our four-legged friends, cats and dogs, will always remember to ask for food whenever they’re hungry. But beyond fulfilling their basic needs, how much do our beloved pets really remember?
According to Live Science, this highly depends on how useful the memories are evolutionarily speaking.
How dogs remember
Dogs can have excellent working memories when it involves food. Oregon State University professor Monique Udell said that dogs possess a mental scratch pad for short-term memories. They also utilize long-term memories in order to recall tricks.
These animals are also capable of having episodic memories, which are similar to long-term memories but are more complex since they require self-awareness. These memories are usually autobiographical and are linked to “what”, “when” and “where details”.
“Dogs can hold things in memory for a long time. But what they remember and how long they can remember it for has a lot to do with context,” Udell explained.
Memories of cats
Similar to dogs, cats can remember details that are important to their evolutionary history. Mikel Delgado of the University of California in Berkeley said cats apparently have good memories when it comes to hunting.
Studies have also shown that cats do have short-term memories that encode details pertaining to “where” and “what” for a short amount of time when food is involved.
Cats were also proven to be good with spatial memories that can help them remember where to find prey.
On the other hand, these animals’ working memories can be surprisingly short-lived, particularly when it doesn’t involve food.
