In my experience (and I've had a lot with cats), they learn to “forgive” (i. e., trust again) humans in general, but they remember their abusers and they remember things associated with their abuse.
Overhead movements or certain noises may frighten an abused cat, triggering a long-term memory of prior trauma. It's possible your cat will carry that unpleasant memory for the rest of his life.
Some might be able to create a very strong connection with their owners. According to a survey of an American blog, The Catnip Times, 80 % of 700 respondents stated that their cats can sense their physical or emotional pain.
“Cats don't forgive, and once they realize a person is causing them anxiety or hurt, they keep away.” So says John Bradshaw, an anthrozoologist at Bristol University and author of “Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet.”
For many cats, minor misdemeanors seem to fall in the short-term memory category so it is likely all will be forgiven within a few hours to days. Kittens have a relatively short memory and can appear to be more forgiving than older cats.
Famously independent, sometimes falsely assumed to be immune to feelings, cats are in truth super-sensitive to emotions, sound, and stress. Perhaps because felines lack the eager-to-please openness of their canine colleagues, humans overlook the big and small ways they can break a cat's spirit.
Your cat might not understand human crying, but she'll gather as many clues as she can and use them to adjust her behavior. Researchers know that reinforcement plays a big role in how your cat decides to react.
The good news is, despite their reputations for being antisocial, cats love bonding and they do forgive and forget. So, if you're at a loss as to how you're going to rebuild trust and affection with your cat, don't fret.
Keeping your cat active through interaction with you using toys and games such as those that involve removing food from a puzzle can help to heal and divert the focus from a traumatic memory or experience—think of it as creating new memories to take the place of those that caused fear.
Distract the cat with a toy or food while you reach your hand around behind his head to touch. Do not reach towards the cat's face with your hand, try to sneak your hand around behind so he think it is still the stick. Rub the back of the neck and head – don't touch any other areas yet.
When abuse occurs during a sensitive stage of a cat's development, it can have a profound impact on the rest of their life, even if the cat is subsequently removed from the abusive environment. An older animal may bounce back from a bad situation, but a young, impressionable cat will show lasting mental scars.
Of course, your cat may understand that the change in your volume means something is different, but yelling may scare your cat or call too much attention to negative behaviours. Yelling may cause your cat to feel stressed and anxious, which can cause additional misbehaviour.
In my experience (and I've had a lot with cats), they learn to “forgive” (i. e., trust again) humans in general, but they remember their abusers and they remember things associated with their abuse.
Most cats don't understand that kisses from humans are a sign of affection. A cat will surely let you know if they enjoy being kissed or not. The best ways to show your cat that you love them are to give them toys, treats, and plenty of one-on-one time.
To summarise, cats don't think about their day or how they feel. But they do think about previous situations they have encountered. For example, when your cat is chilling out, it's not thinking about anything in particular.
All in all, even the most aloof and brooding cat will be able to pick up on your warmth and devotion. Whether they choose to admit it or not, they can sense when a person loves them (and hates them). So always make sure you're emitting good, kitty-positive vibes, and your cat will be sure to indulge in the lovefest.
This study shows that cats respond functionally to their owner's emotional stimuli when their owner showed “anger” or “anxiety”, and their stress levels were higher as compared to when they were shown “happiness”.
An angry cat will be rigid, with tail held out stiff and straight or curled around and under their body. They will act very differently from usual – they could be silent, hissing, spitting or growling.
Animal abuse, or animal cruelty is the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or been put in imminent danger of death.
Cats can learn from their mistakes but only at their own pace. You can help out by making sure there are clear consequences whenever they do something that you don't want them to, but this consequence has to be immediately after the undesired behavior. Otherwise, they will just have to figure things out on their own.