Sam Mannell was eager to watch a litter of kittens develop and experience all their firsts when she first began fostering them for SPCA New Zealand. The 3-week-old kittens are so small and only beginning to understand their surroundings.

They are bottle-fed, a little reserved, but they are already beginning to play, Mannell told The Dodo. “The tiny gray kid is extremely bashful and little, the cream female is incredibly feisty, the ginger lad is really independent, and the black one thinks he’s a human,”

Credit: SAM MANNELL
The four kittens have been having so much fun exploring Mannell’s house, and recently, they discovered her couch for the first time. They were having a great time climbing all over it, and eventually became exhausted from all the exploring and promptly fell asleep together.

Wanting to take advantage of the quiet moment, Mannell decided to grab a snack. The kittens had only been asleep for about 10 to 15 minutes when she ripped open the chocolate bar …

Credit: SAM MANNELL
… and immediately, all four kittens woke up.

Credit: SAM MANNELL
When they heard the chocolate being unwrapped, they all instantly opened their eyes. Despite their youth, they have undoubtedly already developed an understanding of what food sounds like.

The kittens stared carefully at the chocolate until they understood that Mannell wouldn’t be giving it to them.

Credit: SAM MANNELL
They immediately went back to sleep, according to Mannell.

Mannell could finally enjoy her snack and some alone time once they were all sound asleep, before they woke up and resumed their exploration.