Research overview: spatial memory and search behaviour in cats

How long and how accurately can a cat remember where an object or prey item disappeared? This overview surveys research on feline spatial memory, including delayed-search tasks measuring how memory for a hidden object's location decays over time, the influence of self-movement and landmarks on search accuracy, and how cats prioritise spatial over featural cues. It connects these laboratory findings to the ecological demands of ambush hunting, where a predator may need to remember where prey vanished into cover. The topic situates object permanence within the broader spatial-cognitive toolkit that cats use to navigate and forage in their environments.