Many species rely on observational learning during their early stages of development, and domestic cats are no exception. Kittens watch their mothers closely to pick up essential survival behaviors, including grooming. A recently shared video demonstrates this in real-time, as a newborn kitten mimics a mama cat’s self-cleaning routine — a clear example of learned behavior in action.
Owner shares video of cat mom teaching her newborn baby to self-clean
Instagram user @ladysuzyy shared a video of her British Shorthair cat, Lady, giving her newborn kitten an early grooming lesson. The clip shows Lady calmly sitting in front of her little one, licking her own fur in a slow, deliberate way. The baby kitten watches her carefully, then starts mimicking her mother’s movements, trying to clean herself just the same. Throughout the short video, the kitten keeps glancing at her mother as if to check whether she’s doing it right.
At one particularly sweet moment, the kitten struggles to reach a spot on her lower body given her tiny size and limited coordination. Without hesitation, Lady steps in to assist her young one to finish the job. The reel has a soft, cozy tone, made even more wholesome by the use of the classic — and now trending — song “Pretty Little Baby” by Connie Francis playing in the background.
After hitting more than 2.2 million views and 335K likes, the video sparked a flood of affectionate comments. One user humorously wrote, “She only discovered she had legs like 2 minutes ago,” while another imagined the kitten asking, “Mummy, am I doing this right?” Many expressed how endearing it was to see the kitten learning from her mom, with one commenter joking, “The kittie was thinking, ‘So now I have to clean myself?’”
Grooming is an essential behavior in cats that begins early in life. Mother cats typically start grooming their kittens immediately after birth to clean them and stimulate vital bodily functions. By around four weeks of age, kittens begin to imitate this behavior and gradually develop the ability to groom themselves independently. Beyond maintaining cleanliness, grooming plays a crucial role in regulating body temperature, enhancing circulation, and alleviating stress.
