December 2, 2025, 4:09 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Cats recognize their fellow felines by scent. But can they remember them even if the other cat has been deceased for a long time? A video on Instagram suggests they might, showing a cat sniffing the fur of her sister who passed away over a year ago. PETBOOK editor Saskia Schneider, an expert in cat behavior, explains the surprising reaction of the animal.
“She purred the whole time”–this is the only sentence under the video on the channel “sunkissedk_,” where future veterinary technician Kiesha Ann shows her cat sniffing the fur remnants of her deceased sister Zoey. The cat doesn’t react with sadness or confusion–she playfully touches the small jar containing the fur with her paw, rubs her cheeks against it, and rolls onto her back. All clear signs of comfort behavior. But does the fur simply smell good to the cat, or does she actually remember her deceased sister?
“Is that you, friend?”
The video has now garnered nearly a million views. Some find the situation so touching that they say they were moved to tears. Many are convinced: The cat recognizes her sister by scent. “The memories of animals lie in the scent. That’s how they recognize you years later, even if they go blind,” writes one user, while another comments: “Hey… is that… is that you, friend? Why are you in this tiny jar? Strange! You always liked tight spaces… I missed you.”
Can cats recognize deceased fellow felines by scent?
In the video, the cat’s reactions give the impression that she remembers her deceased companion. Perhaps she recalls how they played together. But are cats capable of this? There are only a few studies in this area. What is known and certain: Cats can identify fellow felines and even their humans by scent. A 2025 study showed that Japanese researchers found cats spend much more time sniffing their humans’ scent samples. The researchers interpret this as a sign that scent holds a higher value for the animals and is clearly distinguished from others.1
This aligns with the cat’s reaction in the video, showing a prolonged interest in the container with the hair and rubbing against it. Cats express comfort this way–they also aim to create a group scent, signaling: You belong to me.
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Do cats remember the scent of fellow felines?
But does the cat react this way simply because the fur smells good, or does she realize it’s her deceased sister and “remembers” her? This can’t be answered definitively. Theoretically, cats can remember the scents of fellow felines for a long time. A 2022 study showed that kittens, as adults, are more responsive to their mother’s scent than to samples from unfamiliar cats–a sign that this scent held significance and is stored in memory.2
However, whether the cats actually remember their mother or if the scent simply evokes a sense of well-being is uncertain and difficult to verify. After all, cats can’t (yet) tell us what they’re thinking. Therefore, the question remains whether the cat in the video truly remembers her deceased sister or if the scent triggers memories of comfort.
Cats grieve–but differently than we do
Many users accused Kiesha Ann in the comments of causing the cat to fall into grief or confusion due to the scent. Ann responded by asking people to refrain from telling or writing to her that it was cruel or traumatic. “She had a sweet, loving reaction and seemed to find comfort in it. Not everything has to be so negative!”
This assessment is correct from a behavioral analysis perspective. While cats can mourn the death of fellow felines, they do so differently than humans. For us, photos or scents can trigger memories and the feeling that something is missing, which can reactivate deep grief. This doesn’t seem to be the case for cats. They live more in the here and now. While they associate scents with people or fellow felines, they also associate them with feelings. In this case: the feeling of security and belonging. Or as one commenter aptly describes: “For that moment, she felt her close again.”