Little Kitten (date unknown)

by Linda Kay

Synopsis: A cat puppet made of twine encourages a real kitten to forego naptime in order to get into mischief around the house.

Featured Feline: Sadly the beginning and end of this 16mm film was damaged over time and unavailable for A/V Geeks to post, but where the short begins we see the twine cat puppet encouraging the white kitten with black markings to play with a ball of yarn.

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings playing with ball of yarn with twine cat puppet

The yarn falls off the table to the floor, so the twine cat puppet starts to pull it back up, only the ball of yarn unravels and the real kitten ends up tangled up in a mess of yarn.

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings looking over edge of table with twine cat puppet
Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings covered with yarn with twine cat puppet

The twine cat puppet gets the kitten into trouble but is actually pretty cute in its own weird way.

Little Kitten - twine cat puppet

Next the twine cat shows the kitten a fish tank and actually splashes water on the poor baby, but we suspect it is because the real kitten actually starts drinking from the tank, which was probably not in the script!

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings looking in fish tank with twine cat puppet

They then move to the outside of the tank and are both startled by the sudden appearance of a catfish, so they hide under a sofa.

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings next to fish tank with twine cat puppet
Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings hiding under sofa with twine cat puppet

The real kitten then climbs a curtain to look at a canary in a birdcage, but eventually the bird lands on (or is positioned) on the kitten’s paws, making him or her fall.

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings about to climb curtain
Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings climbing curtain
Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings looking into bird cage

Somehow the kitten lands on a record player turntable and the twine cat turns it on, spinning the poor kitten round and round.

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings on record player turntable
Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings on record player turntable with twine cat puppet

When the kitten finally drops to the floor the poor thing is still spinning from being dizzy!

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings on floor

The twine cat then shows the real kitten how to blow bubbles in a drink (lots of good lessons being taught to the kids in this one, aren’t there?)

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings close up

They next do some painting, but the real kitten jumps off the table and ends up under a glass bowl.

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings leaving paint paw prints on paper
Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings about to jump off table
Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings underneath glass bowl with twine cat puppet

The twine cat attempts to use a paintbrush to create a lever to get the real kitten out from under the bowl. Sadly the short cuts off at this dramatic moment.

Little Kitten - white kitten with black markings trapped under glass bowl with twine cat puppet trying to rescue them

If you have any information about this educational film then please let the good folks at A/V Geeks know about it. And while at their website, pick up a copy of their DVD titled Show Us Your Cats!!! which features several cat themed short films.

Final Mewsings: We really hope the short doesn’t actually end with the live kitten running out of air and twine cat taking it on the lam!

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