Moggie Love?

Some people regard domestic cats as aloof creatures, who only tolerate their owners as suppliers of food and warmth. A recent Japanese study, however, suggests that cats retain a mental image of their owners, even when they can't see them (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/nov/10/cats-track-their-owners-movements-research-finds). The study involved individually placing 50 domestic cats into a room. Each cat heard their owner repeatedly calling for them, outside the room. This was followed by their owner's voice or that of a stranger emanating from a speaker on the opposite side of the room. 'Blinded' observers ranked each cat's level of 'surprise' to the speaker, based on ear and head movements. Cats only showed 'surprise', when their owner's voice came from the speaker. This suggests that companion cats track their owners as they move about the house and are 'thrown', if they 'turn up' unexpectedly anywhere. Cats would need to maintain a mental image to be able to do that.