Generally speaking, the more aware of and attuned to myself, the more I recognize these things. I needn't be actively channeling the feline aspect to experience them but if I am distracted mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually, it mutes their appearances and intensity. By that what I mean is, is that I might be engaged in something and while doing it if I even so much as feel a break or lapse in focus, I am suddenly aware I can tense or manipulate phantom protractile claws and that they had been present all along, just that I hadn't noticed them. This awareness might not remain for long but the sensation is there until dispelled by added distraction, to the point it starts to interfere a bit with something involving use of the digits. Other times the sensation to orient ears in a direction is given but obviously this cannot be achieved and the feedback from the body issues a response of, "The mind says they have been oriented, however, the body isn't certain how to respond." and it goes from being a subconscious reaction to the awareness in a moment.
At this point in my life I often take the time to actively engage and often visualize mentally the actions. Uniquely this has become a one-to-one recreation in imagery with time, in that I can visualize actions translated properly despite disparities in physical ability or exact function; I can see with eyes open picking up a can, I can see with eyes closed a paw managing the same feat. So now the two elements of phantom and mental aspects have begun to interweave, all it takes is acknowledging the impetus and suddenly the mental dynamic has linked with the phantom one even if for brief windows. So I believe it is possible to always feel phantom qualities but I would say most probably do not or will not.