Kitten: The little one that practises hunting through play

A kitten is probably one of the most heart-melting small animals in the world: round eyes, soft paws, and a wobbly toddle. Watching them chase each other, you would think they are just playing — in fact, they are taking a "hunting class". Let's meet the kitten.

Its body

House cats descend from African wildcats that began living near human villages about ten thousand years ago, guarding grain stores from rodents. A kitten is born with its eyes closed and its ears not yet hearing well, completely dependent on its mother. Within a few weeks its eyes open and it begins to walk unsteadily; a little older, and it becomes lively, chasing, pouncing and climbing.

What it is playing at

A kitten's tussles with its siblings are actually hunting practice: chasing builds speed, pouncing builds timing, and grappling builds control. The mother cat sometimes brings back "prey" so the kittens can learn to handle it. A cat's whiskers are highly sensitive and help it judge, even in the dark, whether a gap is wide enough — an important "tool" it starts using from a young age.

A note for grown-ups

You could watch kittens play with a child and ask: "Why do they chase each other?" The answer is to practise their skills. Linking "play" and "learning" helps a child see that growing up is itself a kind of wonderful game. And before getting a cat, do think it through: a kitten needs more than a decade of care and company.