Brenda Heaton, age 14, of Des Moines, Iowa, for her question:

Do cats have memories?

Goodness yes. If you do not have a pet cat of your own, you can borrow a neigh¬borhood cat for a few friendly tests to prove that she has a memory. Cats like to keep informed about what goes on in the neighborhood. Chances are, one of them tippy¬ toes around on a daily inspection of your back yard. Try putting a dish of tempting morsels of food in a certain spot. Next day, Miss Puss will remember and return to investigate the exact spot for more. If you feed her this way on schedule, she will return on schedule. And if after a while you forget a day, she remembers and reminds you.

The average cat is a highly intelligent animal gifted with an excellent memory. However, she has a very definite mind of her own. She refuses to be bullied and nobody can make a slave of her. If you try to make her follow a routine against her will, she is clever enough to pretend to be too stupid to remember. However, if the routine is fair and also if she trusts you, she can be trained if you approach the problem with patience and loving kindness.