Episode 5 Meet the Kittens

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SNORING

SNORING

Everyone's waking up after a lovely, long sleep.

What will today hold in store for our kittens?

Well, first, there's a checkup.

Remember, last time,

the owner discovered fleas on Mum Cleo's ears.

That tiny black dot was a flea.

Fleas bite cats and can make them sick,

so the owner had to spray everybody to get rid of the fleas.

Now, a few days later,

the owner needs to check that the fleas are gone.

MEOW

He uses a special comb to check the kitten's fur.

If they still have fleas,

they will stick to the comb and we will see them as little black dots.

But, look...

The comb is clear!

No fleas on this kitten.

But the owner must check every kitten.

And, look, this kitten is clean as well.

Yes! All the cats are free of fleas.

Now they can play for a bit.

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All this playing and play fighting and exploring

is not just fun and games -

it's a bit like going to nursery.

They are learning about hunting,

chasing, kicking, biting -

all things they will need to know as adult cats.

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BOING BOING BOING

And here's another new thing.

The owner is bringing solid food for the first time.

Coco doesn't hesitate, she's always the first to the food,

but the kittens have never seen this kind of food before.

So far, they've only had their mum's milk.

But now it's time to start growing up.

SNIFF SNIFF

And not needing all their food from their mums.

But what will they make of this new stuff?

Mmm. Mmm. Yum, yeah!

This is quite good and it makes a change from milk.

Mmm, yeah. I think I like it.

I've got some teeth now, so I can chew, but it is quite hard work.

What's going on?

Oh, oh, I can't get up!

Cleo has joined in and is eating,

but another little kitten has come over to see what's going on.

She decides to give it a go.

SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF

-SHE GASPS

-Oh, oh, no, no, no.

Oh, what a horrible taste! I'm sticking to milk.

But her sister is braver.

Ooh, it's chunky and chewy.

I can't bite it properly.

Some of the kittens are so tired from playing.

Aw... They're missing out on a treat.

Oh! I think I've got the hang of this now. This is great.

I don't think you're meant to walk on the food, young lady.

Who cares? This stuff is good.

Two more kittens join in the feast.

And this one is sitting on her food - that makes it very hard to eat.

This kitten has woken up too late and missed out.

Oh! Why did no-one tell me there was a party going on?

Oh, there's nothing left but scraps!

Oh, oi! What about me?

Oh, I'm left trying to find a few crumbs.

Ah, well, there's always Mum's milk to finish off with.

But there's also another new thing.

It's a bowl with water in it.

Now this is very different from Mum's milk.

It's not as tasty, but it's quite nice.

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After all that food, it's a good time to weigh the kittens again.

They're five weeks old and we need to check they're growing properly.

When we first weighed them, do you remember? They were tiny!

Now look. They hardly fit into the bowl.

They're all weighing in at just over 600g.

-That's a good weight for their ages...

-Mum!

-Help!

-..so all is well.

Then they need a second worming.

Yes, that horrible tasting stuff again!

Bleugh!

-But, as we know...

-Ew!

-..it's to make sure there are no nasty worms

inside their tummies. Sometimes you have to take horrible medicine

-just to make sure you stay well.

-No, thanks!

Oh, it's not too bad. Just a bit messy!

Speak for yourself. I'd like a nice drink instead.

Well, how about a bit more of that lovely food?

-That'll take the taste away.

-Yum, yum, yum, yum.

BOING BOING BOING

And then more sleeping to recover.

Mmm. That's nice. Cuddling Mama.

And I can still taste that yummy food.

Having a kitten is a huge, time-consuming responsibility

and, if you want an idea of exactly what's involved,

check out the Meet The Kittens page on the CBeebies website.