How long does a cat remember?

I'm sure we've all heard the line "If only your mother could see know, she'd
be so proud...." in movies or TV shows.

That line got me to wondering about how my cats' mothers' would feel if they
ever met their offspring again. Of course mindreading is pretty difficult
even in humans and harder with cats so we probably can't answer that
question. But it probably _is_ possible to say how a cat will _behave_ if it
ever meets someone from its past.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this?

For instance, my two cats are both 6 years old. I got them from the animal
shelter when they were kittens. They aren't related and neither has seen its
mother since kittenhood. If they were ever to meet their mothers again,
would they recognize their mothers? Would their mothers recognize them?How
would they react if they recognized one another: like long lost humans
separated from someone they cared deeply about? Or indifferently? What about
siblings? Would they recognize them? How would they react to the

Monique Y. Mudama...

I sure don't know, but I'm reminded of the book White Fang, in which
WF's mother pushes him further and further away because she has a new
litter to care for.

recognition?

Similar questions could be asked about humans that they haven't seen in a
long time. If my cats were to meet the humans they met before they were
taken to the animal shelter, would they recongnize them? How would they
react to them?

Some of you must have encountered situations like these. I'm very curious to
know what happened. I have no idea how long a cat can remember another cat
or a human.