Another Question about Kittens

I have another question. Sorry I have so many of them. My house has this huge loft with railings with spaces in between. My kittens don’t roam around the house just yet they are in our 20x20 bedroom where they have plenty of room to play right now. I take them to the lower level and let them play there while we put the dogs in the garage. They seem to be very happy to have a new place to play. So my concern is this. I am really worried to let them loose upstairs because of the loft. I am worried that they will jump and hurt themselves. It’s super high for a kitten or a cat to jump so I don’t know what to do in regards to that. I am sure many people have houses like with that option and I would love to know if I should be concerned about it or not and if there is something that I can do to stop them from jumping? One time Gizmo snuck out of the room and the first thing he did ran to the loft and almost jumped but than he saw how high it was and he very quickly backed away. At that point my husband caught him. Would cats actually jump this high? Is there something I can do or should I not worry about it?

You'd be surprised how daring they are! I have 5 growing kittens and they're indoor/outdoor. They climb and jump as high as it gets. I've learned to trust their instincts and mother nature. It's hard...

Ghastly as it might sound, have you considered putting something like chicken wire right around the railing at least until they're grown and used to the whole thing? You could always just unclip it and roll it up if you have company, or laugh and explain the situation (bet you get lots of praise for being inventive!). I have to say I'd be terrified of it even if my cats were grown, and want to put something more permanent in place, right to the ceiling. Our cats jump and run on a 5" wide halfwall dividing the front stairs (6 - split entry) from the living room, and one has fallen in the past, terrifying me silly (the foyer floor is ceramic tile), so I've put up a 'temporary' 4" hi fence on the outside edge of it - more of a psychological barrier than anything else, and it does help to remind them the drop's there.

My dad had a loft-apartment where we kept my cat Max til he found her a home. If the loft is just as high as the floor below's ceiling(6 ft or so) I wouldn't worry about it. Max didn't jump off of the ledge of it. They can usually judge. just watch them. even if they did fall, they would more than likely just be stunned then anything.
My dad used to drop her off the loft (Higher then where they would fall off it normally) because his grandma used to put the cat out by dropping hers out the 2'nd story WINDOW.But Max was just stunned for a second then walked off. I don't recommend dropping them though.

Wow... grandma must've been senile or something... that's weird!! Poor cat!