Dad Calls His Cat by Her Pre-Adoption Name and Her Reaction Is Priceless
They say every cat has nine lives, and that's especially true for rescues. These darling pets have known whole families before landing their forever home, perhaps moving from shelters to foster care and everything in between.
Christian Digilio is a YouTuber who often features his, in his own words, "fluffy daughter," Layla, on his channel. In a recently posted clip, he randomly remembered her pre-adoption name and decided to call her by it to see if she remembered. By the look on her face, she remembered alright, but we can't tell how she feels about it.
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"I just remembered, before I adopted my fluffy daughter, she actually had a different name," Digilio says while holding his precious princess on her back, showing off her cute pink dress. "She lived outside and in a cage for six months. I have not called her that name since the day I got her, but I wonder if she still remembers it."
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VJFd2k5ALbw
"I do kind of feel bad testing this," he says. "I hope I don't bring back bad memories."
We watch as Layla looks just about lulled to sleep after enjoying a wet food snack stick, but as soon as Digilio says her old name, Gigi, Layla's eyes widen in surprise, and her head jolts to attention.
"Why do you just have a blank stare on your face?" Dad says, hugging Layla right away to make her feel secure. "I'm sorry, Lay. I didn't think you'd remember that."
Even though she hadn't been called Gigi in about two years, Layla was clearly affected by the memories, and she was comforted with even more hugs and treats to make up for it.
"The person: 'Gigi.' The cat: having PTSD," commented one person.
"What a change around from living in a cage for six months to the great life she has now," another says. "Thank You Christian for adopting her."
"Yeah, let's never do that to her again," one more adds. "Goodness knows what it triggers. Some things are best left behind."
Related: Dad's Reaction To Catching His Cat Stealing Mashed Potatoes Is Too Funny
How Long Can Cats Remember Certain Words?
According to an article from PetMD, cats can learn up to 10 or 15 cue words through emotional and experiential association. That goes for their name, the names of their companions and special words like "treat" or "carrier."
Cats have great memories and can retain the words they've learned for years at a time. Of course, if a word is not repeated often, it won't be committed to memory, but the stronger the emotional association with the word, the more chance the cat has of remembering.
For Layla, the name Gigi represents a highly emotional time in her life, and the word was called to her nearly every day. It may take a long time for her to ever forget the name, and maybe she never will, but we're glad to know she's living a kinder, gentler life with her loving dad, and that the name Layla makes her feel loved every time she's called.
Related: This Foster Beagle Grew Up Around Cats, and It Shows
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 3:05 PM.