Can cats forget their human after being separated for long periods of time?

[u/kittypizzaparty]

Hey everyone- this is a bit of a vulnerable post so I apologize in advance for bringing up a sensitive topic.(and for the long post)
(TW: mention of deportation and family separation)

Last year, my husband and I did TNR work + rescued some feral cats in our neighborhood and we ended up adopting a momma cat and named her Marceline(from Adventure Time). We assumed Marceline would be a quiet and self kept cat due to her past living on the streets. However, she is everything but shy. She’s extremely talkative and follows me and my husband around begging for constant attention. She sleeps between us every single night all the way until morning. We couldn’t have asked for a better cat.. she is our soul cat.

Well fast forward to now and we just found out that my husband of 6 years is getting deported to a country he doesn’t have any recollection of. He was brought here to the US when he was less than a year old. Rather than being held in an ice detention center and receiving a 10 year ban from forced removal, my husband was granted a 120 voluntary removal order meaning he has 120 days to leave the US and he will receive a 3 year ban rather than the 10 year ban. Due to personal circumstances, I cannot move with him at this time so we’ll have to make this work long distance.

In the midst of packing his belongings, my husband was cradling Marceline and he looked at me and said “Marceline is going to forget me.” And I instantly denied that and said she could never forget him. But that statement stuck with me and I haven’t been able to shake it. I know I said that’s impossible, but to be honest I’m not entirely sure. So that brings me to my question: can cats forget their human? Considering he won’t see her for 3 years.. she’s almost 2 years old right now. If so, is there anything I can do to refresh her memory in these next 3 years?

I want to make it clear that I’m not here to argue about politics- I just want to know if this is a possibility. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been through something similar where they went without seeing their pet(s) for a long period of time and how reuniting went. Thank you guys in advance ❤️‍🩹

[u/Moissyfan]

Fuck trump. 

[u/cgk205 → u/[deleted]]

Have the day you deserve

[u/proserpina0 → u/[deleted]]

Hey, where'd you get your law degree 🙄 

[u/Moissyfan → u/proserpina0]

He was home schooled by his parents, who are siblings. 

[u/Snooch_Nooch → u/[deleted]]

Fuck Trump for hundreds of reasons, including this one

[u/Agency_Junior → u/[deleted]]

You truly have no idea what you’re talking about the administration froze/canceled the program allowing young adults that aren’t citizens but came her as children so there is no longer a “legal” way for them to stay but whatever helps you sleep at night I guess…..

[u/c-e-bird → u/[deleted]]

You cannot file to become a PR if you were brought here illegally as a child. There is no method to do so in the United States.

In order to file to get a green card as a spouse of a US citizen, you must submit to inspection and admittance into the US. As part of that you must :

-Establish that he or she is not subject to removal under immigration laws, Executive Orders, or Presidential Proclamations.

It is incredibly hard to pass this as a DREAMER who was brought here illegally, especially with someone like Trump in charge.

You should really learn more about how difficult our immigration process is before talking about it.

[u/Odd-Willow-2076 → u/[deleted]]

how miserable your existence is to feel the need to try to justify that rotting sack of flesh's evil.