Would installing a door to my room be overkill?

I adopted two kittens a couple weeks ago. They're around 4 months and a bonded pair.

My room is the basement, and what was likely intended to be a den. There isn't a door to my room, but there is one at the top of the stairs that lead to the basement. However, I want to keep them in my room. Right now I use a combination of a baby gate, curtains I've velcroed together and to the wall, and some taped together cardboard boxes to basically make a sort of kinda door. It's mostly effective, they can climb the gate but can't get past the curtain (except the iron on velcro failed at one part and they figured out how to wiggle through the hole so I have to redo that).

It isn't a big deal for them to be in the basement area because the actual door is closed. However, my granddad occasionally goes down there to do laundry and even though I asked him to keep the door closed I came home one day and it wasn't. I told him again, they can get out of my room if they try, so maybe he'll take that to heart. But even if he does, it's possible they could get out and wait at the door and sneak past him when he opens it.

My biggest fear is that this will happen and then one or both will get under my granddad's recliner and my granddad may not notice they're in there and open/close it and accidentally seriously injure or kill them. And if that happens, not only will I have a huge vet bill plus maybe losing one or both (which I can't even contemplate) but I would also have to tell the rescue/foster mom. And then I'm afraid that if something horrible did happen, the rescue would take the other cat away if one got hurt and also hit me with the liquidated damages fee from the contact ($3,000 for each cat). So, it would be just all around awful.

I don't know what else I can do to keep them in my room. They can climb baby gates, they can knock over cardboard. And even though the method I use now works, it's a huge pain for me to get in and out of my room. The only other thing I can think of is actually installing a door. I would need to get permission from my grandfather (who will think I'm crazy because he thinks I worry too much already) but my uncle is coming for Christmas and he could help me install it. I think I would do the sliding barn door style since it seems the least invasive.

Would that be excessive though? Am I worrying too much about this?

submitted by /u/artfulroyale
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/e5bt11/would_installing_a_door_to_my_room_be_overkill/