Tips needed for escaping kittens

Hi everyone! Gracie's kittens are 6 weeks today and all are plump and healthy! I do have another dilemma. They have learned how to jump very well and are escaping the bedroom. I had placed a tall cardboard barrier in the doorway. I had to shut Gracie in with them tonight because they all kept escaping and jumping over it. I'm worried to let them all loose because I have 3 children, the youngest being only 9. My son is rather rowdy and I'm SO worried one of them will get accidentally stepped on. He loves them, so it def wouldn't be on purpose, but the horror of the thought terrifies me.

Do I just let them all out and reiterate how careful we have to be and hope for the best? I really don't want to shut the door all the time. I know I'm just being paranoid because we've had kittens before, but it's different now because now there's 5 of them. They rip and tear in that bedroom, so I know they're just itching to have the run of the house. I don't know what to do.

My spontaneus though is, if the children arent mean on purpose or anything like such, let them meet their fate.

Once upon a time, in a similiar situation the renown pedagogue and doctor, Janusz Korczak said about children: dont refuse the children their right to their own death...

Here is an exact parallell.

And meeting each other, and learning to be somewhat cautios is good both for kittens and children alike.


Good luck!

Thank you for your reassurance. The kids and kittens are very close already as we spend most of our time in there cuddling & playing with them. I'm just going to have to sit them down again and go over rules and try to relax a little. I don't know why I'm so neurotic over these kittens, maybe I'm becoming paranoid with age

Originally Posted by kstmommy

Thank you for your reassurance. The kids and kittens are very close already as we spend most of our time in there cuddling & playing with them. I'm just going to have to sit them down again and go over rules and try to relax a little. I don't know why I'm so neurotic over these kittens, maybe I'm becoming paranoid with age

Click to expand...

It's only natural to be worried...another suggestion that you could try if you aren't there, or it's night of something is a door gate(I'm not exactly sure what they're really called)
This is the closest pic I could find, and it actually has a dog and a kid in it
http://canadianpetessentials.com/ima...icPetGateN.png

But, soon enough, the kittens would learn how to climb it...

Thanks for the idea. I doubt it would work though, as the barrier I already had up was just as high and they can literally jump right up and over lol. I went ahead and let them all out and man they are having fun. Their momma, Gracie, sure doesn't like it though, she's a nervous wreck.

The boys are still in my room most of the time, except for supervised visits. Mr. P (their daddy) plays really rough still, but licks them to death. Baby, does NOT like them at all and hisses and swipes at them. That's why I haven't let them free yet. I do supervised time, like an hour or so at a time, separately. I still haven't let them both out at the same time. It's going to be even harder now that the kittens are loose in the house. Poor Baby used to be king of the castle, he's not going to be a happy camper. lol

Ya, it doesn't usually work long for me either
Poor Baby...his whole life has been invaded by annoying squealy things And he's no longer the baby in the house...