Major Writing Assignment #1 "How Kittens and Babies are Similar"

Clearly there are differences between kittens and babies that we all recognize. For example, babies don’t have fur they have skin. Kittens are pets babies are not. Even though there are obvious differences, some may not realize that kittens and babies share similarities in many different areas such as their nutritional needs, rate of growth and unique languages.

We all know that both kittens and babies are totally dependent upon their mothers at birth, and how important proper nutrition is at the beginning of their life. Milk is extremely important and essential to the growing needs of kittens and babies. It doesn't matter whether babies and kittens get their milk from their mother or from formula, what matters are the benefits they get from milk. Milk is needed for the proper development of healthy kittens and babies. It also helps to prepare their tummy for solid food later. Mother’s milk is nature’s complete source of nutrition. It is loaded with all the important nutrients required for a healthy start. Mother’s milk also aids in the proper growth and development of young kittens and babies.

The rate at which kittens and babies grow is quite similar as they both grow at such rapid rates. By the age of 6 weeks, kittens do not need their mother and can pretty much make it on their own. Before they are a year old, they have gone through their teenage period and are considered adults by the time they reach a year old. Babies, on the other hand, also grow rapidly during the first year, but there is a longer period of time before they reach the teenage years and then adolescence.

One of the major skills most babies master around the age of one year is that of walking. But in order to learn to walk, they must also learn to sit on their own, crawl, pull themselves up into a standing position and master the art of balance. Kittens also are learning to walk, wobbling to and fro, and always falling down. They think they can run, and try to do so long before they have completely mastered walking without falling down. Kittens are pretty clumsy. It takes them a little while to learn how to apply the ‘brakes’ in order to keep from running into things, or even each other. Learning to jump is another skill they eventually learn to master when they are young. Usually they can jump off of a couch, much easier than jumping up on one. It takes some time before they can actually land on their feet, without falling, or rolling across the floor. Kittens also mimic behaviors of their siblings but for different reasons than babies mimic their parents and siblings.

One other milestone in the rapid growth process of kittens and babies is that of language.Babies start out by crying as their only way to let us know that they need something. From birth babies are working hard to communicate their needs to their parents. Even at a tender young age they begin to learn to mimic the sounds they hear, and become quite good at finding other effective ways to communicate with those around them. First are the smiles, opening their little mouths ever so wide, sometimes accompanied with cooing sounds. Some of the sounds babies make resemble that of talking through their little noses, in their desperate effort to try and communicate with us. It is a language understood only by those closest to the baby, a unique language that mom can usually understand, but often has to interpret. The kittens mother also has a language that is only known to her and her kittens. The kitten’s recognize the sound of their mother’s voice and can distinguish it from every other cat. Kittens instinctively understand what message their mother is sending, whether she is calling for them, or informing them of danger.

One other form of language that kittens and babies share is an unspoken language, that of using their sense of smell to guide them. Not only do kittens and babies recognize the distinct voice of their own mothers, they also recognize the scent of their mother and can distinctly recognize it from others, soon after birth. Babies can also recognize the smell of mother’s milk, which can trigger their hunger pangs. Kittens too have a keen sense of smell, and they rely on it as a means of survival. Because their eyes are not fully developed at birth, they rely on their sense of smell to help them find their source of food. Kittens not only recognize the sounds of their mother, but they also depend on their keen sense of smell to locate her.

It is amazing that both animals and humans share many of the same similarities in many areas of their lives. Even though we can see clearly the differences between kittens and babies, it is not always obvious to recognize that they also share many similarities.