All language subtitles for Kittenhood

One morning, in the
French countryside,

a kitten is born on a farm.

As the months go by, it will
grow into an authentic hunter.

What remains of its feline instincts?

Cats have been domesticated by man

and humans play a decisive
role in their existence,

especially in Tokyo where cats
are coddled like plush toys,

sometimes spending their entire lives

in these peculiar places called cat bars.

Miles away in Greece,
some cats roam free

and are abandoned
to hands of fate.

For them, their feline instinct
is a question of survival.

Three cats, three destinies,
three worlds.

Amazing and moving
stories to discover

the secrets of these
familiar creatures.

The sun is just rising,

and the farmer and his
animals were already awake,

a typical morning in
the French countryside.

In the barn, a new story is beginning.

Nestled in a corner of the
straw are five kittens,

a hidden spot chosen by their mother

to protect them from the elements

as well as any predators
that might happen by.

This behavior has been passed down

from the cat's wild ancestors.

These domesticated kittens
belong to the family of Felidae

and share many likenesses with them.

Like their cousins, lions and
tigers, they have a round head

with a flat muscle
and protractable claws.

This little gray and white ball
of fur is named Mouricette.

We're going to watch her
as she grows to adulthood,

but for the past 1/2 hour,
she's been growing impatient.

This is her mother and
source of sustenance.

Her eight nipples are more than enough

for this litter of kittens,

but they still need to fight for a spot,

and Mouricette is already
good at defending her own.

With full tummies, the
under-a-week-old kittens

sink into a restless sleep.

Their brains practice
making their muscles move,

and they're wracked with spasms.

This phase is called seismic sleep

and will diminish as they grow.

A week's gone by.

Mouricette's eyes are wide open,

but she still can't see yet.

She gropes her way to her mother,

relying on her sense of smell.

She crawls since her legs
are too wobbly to stand.

Her little limbs aren't strong enough

to bear her weight of just 200 grams.

Her meowing is the way
she calls her mother.

Mouricette is distressed by her absence

and cries to get her attention.

When mom finally comes
back, it's bath time.

Cats are instinctively clean,

and the mother makes sure the
family home never gets dirty.

She licks her kittens' bottoms clean,

leaving their fur covered
in her pheromones.

Another plus, the stimulation

wakes them up before their meal.

Since they suckle only
tiny quantities at a time,

the kittens nurse every
hour, even at night.

So, they manage to drink about
25% of their weight each day.

At two weeks, they already know

how to stimulate milk production

by kneading their mother's belly.

Some adult cats, if they
were weaned too early,

will reproduce this reflex
to sooth themselves.

Farm cats aren't born year-round

but only during the warm season,

like most mammals in temperate climates.

The synchronization of
births is caused by a hormone

called melatonin when the
days grow longer in spring.

Nature knows what it's doing.

This way, the kittens have a few months

to learn how to walk
before autumn arrives.

One month later,

here's what a six-week-old
kitten looks like.

Mouricette is still unsteady on her feet,

but instinct pushes her to
venture a little further.

Kittens are curious about everything.

These five kittens'
favorite activity is playing

and especially play fighting.

The rules are simple,

bite and swat at whoever's down.

These play fights are reminiscent

of lion cubs in the Savannah,

a feline behavior, learning
to fight without getting hurt.

If Mouricette were an only kitten,

her mother would be more
present in her education,

but with a litter of five,

she lets the siblings
keep each other company.

A reassuring cuddle also embodies

a survival strategy, heat conservation.

To develop properly,

the kittens sleep nearly 20 hours a day.

This time is needed for their growth.

Mouricette is over two months old now,

and her days in the barn
are drawing to a close.

Now that she's weaned, she
no longer needs her mother,

and she's clearly the
boldest kitten in the litter.

The other four frightened
kittens huddle in a corner,

while their sister is lured by adventure.

Mouricette doesn't know it,

but the farmer's been observing her

and has noticed her
natural gift for hunting

when she was chasing her siblings.

These hands belong to her future owner.

As if often the case,

cats are given to owners
as soon as they're weaned.

In the wild, six months is the age

at which wild cats are
rejected by their mothers,

one year lynxes and two years for tigers.

The life of the domestic
cat is much different.

Kittens are removed from their mothers

between two and three months,
as soon as they are weaned.

This is because kittens adjust more easily

to a new environment within
their first nine weeks of life.

It's important for territorial
animals, such as these,

to discover their future home early

and discover the animals that live there,

but before she can start providing
pest control at the farm,

Mouricette must first
adapt to her new home.

When she first arrives,
Mouricette is kept in the kitchen

to give her a chance to
discover her new environment.

During the holidays,
Christmas tree decorations

provide an ideal training field.

The kitten doesn't know
where to look next.

Her attention span is still pretty short,

a few seconds tops, and she
moves on to the next toy,

as long as it moves when it's batted about

as if it were a mouse.

Is that a fly over there?

Learning to hunt requires
intensive training.

All these moves will come in useful

in real life when she grows up,

but she needs to learn to
be a little less conspicuous

and wait a bit longer

before she can meet
all the farm animals.

In a familiar environment,

the feline nature of the domestic cat

is not always easy to see,

but in Greece, it's much more obvious.

Some cats don't have it so easy,

and this picturesque
setting on the Aegean Sea

does not guarantee an idyllic existence.

On an island off the shore of Athens,

stray cats live in colonies.

Introduced by pirates
who occupied the port

until the the 19th century,

their population has exploded
in the absence of predators.

But their scarred little faces

show the harsh reality hidden
behind the postcard setting.

Here, we see a little ginger orphan.

Skinny and weak, the kitten
must struggle to survive.

It's undernourished and doesn't fare well

during the cool nights of early autumn.

Nearby, three luckier kittens play fight

while the little ginger kitten looks on.

One of them is even agile
enough to climb a tree

and attempt to hunt for food.

The reason this trio is more
robust than our ginger kitten

is that their mother is
around to watch over them

and provide them with food.

Mother cat makes the rules.

She rations out her milk
by feeding them in turns.

Elsewhere, they would be too old,

but here, their mother's milk

is often the only source of nutrition.

This one has gone blind in one eye,

an infection caused by malnutrition.

For the mother, it's also a
struggle to find enough to eat.

Leaving the kittens in a safe place,

she heads out in search of
food whatever the weather.

The survival of her family depends on it.

At the port, she waits
for just the right moment.

Salvation comes from the sea.

Over the decades, the fisherman

have grown accustomed to the cats

and have become, in a way,
their guardian angels.

But mother cat is not the
only one with the same idea.

Every time a boat comes in,

an amazing spectacle takes place.

The entire colony of stray cats gathers

to take advantage of the fish

that are either too
small or damaged to keep.

Like tigers, cats are often solitary.

Stray animals only tolerate

their fellow creatures near food sources.

The biggest males are always served first.

Lower in the hierarchy,
the black female must wait

until the dominant cats
have had their fill.

While the tomcats feast,

mom finally manages to get her share.

She eats her meal

and even manages to bring
back a little for her kittens.

High up on the island,

the kittens are lured
from their hiding place

by the smell of fish.

Since they will soon be weaned,

this familiarizes them with dead prey.

It's a way of stimulating their instinct

before they learn to hunt for themselves.

The ginger kitten is hesitant and timid.

He's afraid, but he's also hungry.

Finally, the one-eyed kitten
lets him have what's left.

The kittens don't have the silky fur

and round tummies of well-fed kittens,

but it looks like the shared feast

has perked up the little ginger kitten,

and he's now accepted
by the three siblings.

The survival mode stray cats live in

reveals their feline instincts,

but how do cats behave in Tokyo,

the most populated city in the world?

42,000,000 inhabitants,
the majority of whom

live in buildings that don't allow cats.

Condominium regulations
strictly forbid them

for reasons of hygiene.

Not so great for the Japanese
since they adore cats.

Adore and even worship,

like here, in the
Buddhist Gotokuji Temple.

Legend has it, a samurai
was beckoned by a cat

passing its paw behind its ear.

He entered the temple just at the moment

lightning struck where he'd been.

To show his gratitude, he
gave money to the sanctuary,

and ever since, the
beckoning cat, or maneki neko

has been a good-luck
charm to attract fortune.

For cat lovers who can't
afford their own house,

there are places especially designed

for enjoying our furry friends.

This morning, the 15
residents of the Hapineko Cafe

emerge from the bedroom,

20 square meters governed by Princesse

and these other domestic cats,

a realm entirely devoted to cats

where human visitors
are merely tolerated.

This week, a new resident
makes her appearance.

This roly-poly kitten is called Kurumi,

little nut in Japanese.

She's just turned three months old,

the minimum age for admission
to this rather unusual place,

the cat bar, where she
will live from now on.

But if Kurumi wants to fit in
to this elite feline group,

she's going to have to prove herself.

It's not easy for a little
kitten to win the approval

of all the full-grown cats
that have lived here for years.

Each cat has its own
personality and habits.

Princesse, the Persian cat often hides

beneath the doll's bed.

It's a feline survival reflex

to find a hiding spot
for peaceful sleeping.

Komono likes to sit in salad bowls,

classic behavior for domestic cats.

They feel protected from the
outside world, safe and secure.

This one's called Roll.

She's gotten into the habit of
poking about people's plates.

She refuses to follow the
rules imposed by humans

and eats whenever she feels like it.

But there's no question of letting Kurumi

pick up the same habit.

The waitress quickly
sets the record straight.

Last, but not least, is Konatsu.

This Siamese cat is not quite a year old,

and Kurumi's presence reminds
her of her kittenhood.

These indoor cats seem
used to a cushy life

in a safe environment

far from the wild existence
of their fellow Greek felines.

They've traded their freedom
to live like plush toys

in an enclosed environment,

but the cafe contains specially designed

substitutes for life in the wild.

Instead of trees, there are shelves

because like leopards, for
example, cats love to climb,

the ideal position for staking out prey.

The only prey here live outside the window

where they're impossible to catch.

So, to satisfy their urge to hunt,

even the adult cats
play from time to time,

a behavior more common
among cats in captivity.

At the end of this day
of discovery and play,

Kurumi finally finds a spot
to rest between two sofas.

Back on the farm, however,
Mauricette never takes a break.

With her boundless energy,

she clearly has other things
on her mind than sleep.

She's now four months old
and curious about everything.

Her first adventures are
right outside the house.

They say cats have nine lives

since they're always
in danger of losing one

due to their curiosity,

a characteristic they share
with their lion cub cousins.

Curiosity is what compels
Mauricette to face the unknown.

The chained goats seem
harmless enough,

but the geese are a different story.

They are territorial
and have even been known

to frighten away humans,
so just imagine a kitten.

Curious doesn't mean foolhardy.

Mauricette high tails it to safety.

Like her wild cat ancestors,

she seeks the shelter of heights.

She climbs to escape predators.

But Mauricette is inexperienced

and has trouble getting down.

Luckily, her flexible skeleton,

a quality shared by all
felines both big and small,

helps cushion her fall.

Ah, safe at last.

It's all part of the learning process.

A young border collie named Jamie

has just arrived on the farm.

He's going to herd sheep.

The puppy and kitten are going

to have to learn to get along.

All felines are very
attached to their territory.

Instinct tells them to
defend their property,

even when they're
domesticated like Mauricette,

but right now, she's torn

between wanting to play with
the puppy and total fear.

Feeling threatened, she rises
up on the tips of her paws

and arches her back to make herself

look as scary as possible to Jamie,

who's not feeling very
sure of himself either.

After this show of force,

curiosity wins out over aggression,

and a peaceful coexistence settles in.

What remains to be seen is
how Mauricette will fare

when she is truly needed

because if humans have allowed
cats to coexist with them,

like here on this organic farm,

it's because they understood
the creatures' potential

back in the days before rat poison.

It all started 7-10,000 years ago.

Cats became domesticated
in the fertile crescent

in Mesopotamia where agriculture began.

Rodents would scrounge
from the grain harvests

meant for humans and their livestock.

Cats were lured near
villages by the rodents,

their prey of choice.

It was a win-win situation
for the first farmers

who were delighted to get
rid of the unwelcomed pests.

First, cats had to get used to

the other domesticated animals.

But when it comes to
rodents, no fear at all.

Instinct is instinct,

and Mauricette immediately
begins chasing the mouse.

With all her senses alert,

she detects her prey using
sight and her sense of hearing,

though not usually her sense of smell,

which isn't nearly as sharp as a dog's.

What happens next may surprise us.

Rather than kill the mouse,

four-month old Mauricette
plays with it for a long time.

This simple reason is that she
wants to make the hunt last

as long as possible until
the mouse tires out.

Among domesticated cats, the
urge is independent of hunger.

And maybe she's afraid
of getting bitten herself

by the terrified victim.

She still needs to gain
a bit of experience

before she can become a excellent mouser.

In the end, finicky Mauricette

turns up her nose at her prey.

Meanwhile, in Greece, the
stray cats can't be so choosey

if they want to survive on the island.

The orphan ginger kitten is still alive,

but he now lives far from humans.

He's become a feral cat,

the term used to describe

domestic cats that have become wild.

What's special about cats

is that even if they
adapt a human contact,

they never become truly domesticated,

and their preditorial
instincts remain intact.

The ginger cat has joined the colony

that lives alongside the
sea, the fishing cats.

Cats on the water's edge
remain an unusual sight.

Since water was scarce in
the Middle Eastern region

where the wild ancestors originated,

the cats developed a natural fear of it

that they must overcome
if they want to eat.

The crab is protected by
both the waves and its shell,

so the ginger cat decides to
look for other sea creatures.

This cat isn't afraid
of getting its paw wet,

but it's technique isn't very effective.

This one seems more agile.

The ginger cat tries to copy it.

Observation, imitation,
and survival instinct

finally combine into
the formula for success.

But this meager pittance is hardly enough.

An adult cat needs 300
grams of food per day,

in other words, about 10
fish, birds, or rodents.

Resources are quickly depleted
on an island of stray cats.

To round out the meal,

the ginger cat also
uses his sense of smell.

Although it's a feline's
third sharpest sense

after hearing and sight,

it's still 100 times sharper than our own,

enough to lead him to the trash bin.

The ginger cat gleans what
tourists have left behind,

a welcome addition of protein.

During the summer, the ginger
cat even knows a great spot

near a hotel where the
garbage gets piled.

He's the king of the garbage heap.

The problem comes when
holiday makers

vacate the island in winter.

No tourists means no trash.

Life grows harsher and hunger
is a constant daily reality.

The island's inhabitants are moved

by the homeless creatures'
plight and look after them,

like the fishermen, through
a local association.

In return, the cats are
sterilized each year

to limit overpopulation
and prevent new orphans

from swelling the ranks
of the seaside cat colony.

Although the Japanese cats may
not share these same worries,

the impatience of their empty tummies

still upsets the serenity
of their mornings.

While the owner prepares breakfast,

Kurumi the kitten is kept
away from the frenzy.

But order is quickly restored
and everyone falls into place.

No question of stealing
from a neighbor's dish.

Even Kurumi can eat peacefully
without being disturbed.

As soon as the meal is over,

the cafe opens its doors
to human patrons.

They take off their shoes
and wash their hands

to keep any germs away from the cats.

It didn't take long for
Kurumi to get used to

the coming and going of visitors,

although slippers don't
disturb her in the least.

She still plays with Konatsu

but also interacts with the patrons.

That's her role here,
which is convenient

considering predation is second
nature for domestic cats.

Kurumi feels at home and
even marks her territory

like the full-grown cats.

Beneath their paw pads are scent glands

that emit pheromones to
mark where they've been.

They may be domesticated,

but they still need to satisfy
their territorial instinct,

which is why scratching
posts are so useful.

The cats rub up against the patrons

to mark them with their scent,

making them, in a way,
part of their territory.

But this is different.

This cat is busy kneading,
a nostalgic reflex.

A trip down memory lane when it would

knead its mother's
belly to nurse her milk.

All domestic cats retain kitten behavior.

It's actually their biggest
difference from wild cats.

When they curl up on our laps,

it's like they were nestled
against their mothers' tummies.

When we pet them, our hand reminds them

of their mothers' tongue cleaning them.

For them, we are like substitute mothers.

Comforted and content,

they purr like when they were kittens.

The vibration is as
relaxing for them as for us,

and it keeps their
muscles from getting stiff

when they stay in the same
position for too long.

Sleep is an important part of their life,

16 hours broken into a
succession of short naps.

When they're not asleep,
cats spend 1/3 of their time

grooming themselves
with their rough tongue

covered in hook-like bumps.

It's the ideal tool for
cleaning and brushing their fur

but also for getting rid of the
scents humans leave on them.

And for those hard to reach
spots, friends come in handy.

Too much grooming, however,
can also mean a cat is bored.

Are these animals confined indoors

and pampered like living plush toys happy?

We'll never know.

But although they've escaped the risks

that come with freedom

in exchange for this comfortable dwelling,

there's no doubt all their
instincts are still intact.

The proof, when Kurumi is presented

with the screensaver of a cell phone.

This digital butterfly is the only thing

she'll ever be able to hunt.

Whereas back on the farm,
Mauricette has the good fortune

to come and go as she pleases.

When a stranger ventures
into her territory,

Mauricette knows how to
show who's in charge.

The flexible feline has grown
much more sure of herself.

Her ears pick up the slightest sound,

her whiskers detect movement in the air,

and the pupils of her sharp
eyes adapt to the light.

These natural weapons
have caused the demise

of thousands of birds in our gardens

because tireless hunters like Mauricette

reign supreme over their domain.

She may look domesticated,
but she is till wild at heart

unlike other farm animals,

such as sheep, donkeys, and goats.

These herbivores live in herds

that rely on human protection.

And when Jamie spreads
terror in the farm yard,

he doesn't go so far as to eat the geese.

And he doesn't scare Mauricette anymore.

Raised together since their earliest days,

they no longer fight like cats and dogs,

but their personalities
are still very different.

In the history of cats,

their domestication 7-10,000 years ago

did not fundamentally
alter their behavior.

As Mauricette, the ginger cat,
and Kurumi have demonstrated,

cats remain ferocious predators
no matter where they live.

The wild cat that sleeps with in them

will be never be tamed.