Kids being cruel to new kittens

[maggiethemagpie]

We've just got two kittens and our children, 6 and 3 keep manhandling them and on two occasions have trapped them in enclosed spaces deliberately. I'm not sure of the best way to deal with this as we've told them a million times to be gentle, and used naughty step when we've caught them being rough.
Eg - throwing the kitten, holding/lifting by paws, putting in laundry basket and closing lid.

Final straw was tonight when one kitten went missing and i heard it mewing and found it in a box in the kids room with the lid on, in quite an enclosed space and it had been there at least an hour.

Don't know how to get them to stop- wwyd?

Atenco- I was not claiming that all children or the OP's children for that matter would grow up to be so. I was just pointing out a known fact principally because the OP seems to be in some kind of denial about having to re-home the kittens. I agree with you, some children at a young age cannot grasp dealing with animals and some learn and out grow it, but we also cannot deny what early age animal cruelty has on many occasions resulted to in later life.

No-one has called the children psychopaths, or said they will grow up to be evil etc. Most posts have been very measured considering.
I can't believe some people are minimising this behaviour. It's clearly not just being a bit rough unintentionally, it's deliberate. It will progress. It is concerning, and in no way normal. People are saying to OP she should get help.

So OP, did you manage to rehome the kittens?

"The cruelty the OP describes is the cruelty of ignorance, nor intentional cruelty, so, so very different".

This as Atenco writes.

We can't tell from what's written how much exposure to animals the children have had, of how much education they've had in how to handle animals etc.

What we can tell is that the children haven't had enough supervision, and reinforcement of behaviour.

I think the OP has been given enough of a verbal battering, and as they did want advice, I hope they've been able to see past the anger and have been mature enough to consider the advice.

Repetitive shouting, accusations and insults is not known as a successful behaviour change strategy.

Although I can see why people feel justified in the outrage and horror, on behalf of these baby animals, little kittens who cannot defend or speak for themselves. But, please remember there are other ways to help these kittens that may well work better.

I got a kitten age 6 months 3 weeks ago and my 8 year old son can't leave it alone always taunting the kitten standing on its paws and tail lifting him up while he's still in his tunnel pressing down hard on his head I've tried to teach him to be kind to the kitten I think he's jealous of the cat

How utterly vile of these kids. Poor poor animals. 8 year old standing on kittens paws? Get him to a doctor he needs serious serious help.

He's just jelous he's never had a cat before why people always go on about getting him to a Dr that's stupid

Lifting an innocent animal by its tail? Standing on paws? That is VILE and not normal behaviour. I hope that poor poor cat gets away from you and your sadistic son. If he’s behaving like that at 8 imagine what he will be like as an adult. No child of mine would ever ever do that. It’s not normal behaviour. He’s showing sadistic tendencies get him to a doctor he needs help. And if you can’t see that then so do you!!!!

Didn't lift it by his tail get that right maybe you need to see a Dr the way your carrying on pathetic

Poppy, some punctuation would have made it easier to read your post. This thread is from 2017.

There's always away around it don't you ever tell me that again or else

Why would he be jealous of a kitten? And deliberately hurting a living creature is not normal or acceptable behaviour in a 8 year old child. Surely you must know that?

Or else what 😂😂😂😂