Getting Really Annoyed at Neighbors Regarding Our Kittens

I would just tell the kids next time they come over that no they can't see the kittens cause it is making the Momma cat mad and you don't want her to bite or scratch them. Tell them once the kittens get older they can see them. Then if the parents even say anything to you about it just tell them the same thing. Just say the last time all the kids were there holding the kittens the momma cat was growling and hissing some and you were scared she would lash out at the kids. I think that's a good reason for them to not come over for a while. Then once the kittens are older tell them they can have one of them and then they won't need to come over at all :)

I would tell the kids that the momma cat doesn't like when people handle their babies. Set a SPECIFIC time that they are allowed to come over. Say, tuesdays and thursdays from 2-2:15... Every time they ask other than that, say "is it tuesday?" -no- "then I'm sorry, but the kittens need to be left alone then."

EDITED TO ADD~ btw... like many posters have said... holding kittens too much CAN make them sick. Sometimes it stresses momma cat out to the point that she disowns them!!! I have had this happen with some of our barn cats. Especially since this was a stray cat that you took in... You haven't had the chance to earn her trust 100% so she doesn't know that you mean them no harm...

I would just tell the parents that you're glad their kids love the kittens but that you're noticing now it's stressing out the mom kitty and the kittens, so could they limit the visits to a couple days a week?

I would set a time limit for the visit, say 5-10 minutes at most, and once a day, period. If one is 14, that one should be made responsible for watching the younger one during the visit. At 1 week, the kittens are too young to be handled, and I'm surprised the momma kitty hasn't fussed. Ask your vet about it, and pass the info along to the kids. 5 minutes, eyes only.

Try this:

The mommy cat needs some time with her kittens and we are leaving them alone today.

or

The kittens need to grow strong and healthy and they need lots of sleep to do that. We will let you know when you can come play with the kittens.

Neither is offensive, and they are true! Kids need to understand that small animals are not toys that you can pull out and play with whenever you want. Good luck.

I always tell kids what my mom told me and my sister when we were little, that holding kitties too much will make them sick. Yes they are cute and they are tempting, but just like human babies, they need to be left alone for their mom to take care of them.
They need to eat and sleep and be left alone, especially when they're that young.
Kids usually understand that.
Also, you just need to remember the magic word. NO.
Just tell them no, not today. Maybe after school on Monday. (Or whatever day you think).
What are they going to do, go home and tattle on you? You have every right to say it's not a good time. And, since you're friends with the parents, I'm sure they will understand that. Tell your friends that you have to keep your own kids from messing with them too much and they make the mama cat really nervous. That way you're including your own kids so they can't take it personally.
Really, they shouldn't. Just a peek every now and then is all anybody needs. They are way too little to be handled much.

It's been a week, time to slow it down now. My cat had kittens and I didn't let anybody hold them. I checked them out to make sure they were okay, but that was it. I let my kids touch their little heads and we patted mama to tell her what a good girl she was, but we left them alone. She was such a great mother, she knew what to do.

Best wishes.

Just tell them "Sure--You can look at them for 5 minutes each day. But you have to be VERY quiet and don't touch them. If you're loud or touch them you'll have to leave for the day." The kids aren't mind readers! Speak up and lay down the rules, Mama!

Tell them that it is better for the kittens not to be handled untill they are at least 2 months old. Tell them that the mother and kittens need quiet time and they can visit once a week. the kittens are too young and may become sick it handled too much.

It's your house so make some rules. You are the adult and you are allowing them to do this. So tell them the kittens are off limits until they are about 6 weeks old. Actually, nobody should be handling the kittens at this age. It's a good way to hurt them, stress out the mom or make them sick.

Have you thought about getting a massage to relax a bit?

Send the kids home after a five minute visit.

merely explain that while you love and adore their children that little kittens arent supposed to be handled that much. These statements are both totally true, tell them you want to set up a day where they can come play with them, and on that day explain what is best for the kitties.

Totally blame it on the fragile state of newborn creatures.

Just tell the kids, "No, not today. Why don't you come over tomorrow?"
There is no reason to make this into a big deal and talk to the parents about it. The kids aren't doing anything wrong, if you don't want them to see the kitties then just tell them no.

You just need to be firm, I doubt there will be any hard feelings. All moms know that their kids can get annoying. Just tell your neighbor she needs to get a cat, lol.