So, how do I solve this problem? Can you get mini rising-butt hinges?
Or perhaps spring-loaded hinges?

I`ve got one of the springy things mounted on a door in our living room,
and have set the spring so its quite slack and won`t force the door to
close (otherwise our dogs would be locked in)

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...98868&id=12108

Just how gentle, and how well do you want it to close ? - in our case we
have the spring loosened off so it stays open 3-4" but if you want it to
close fully i`m guessing that wouldn`t work for you.

You know what, you might have just hit upon an idea for a new product
based on the lines of the one I link to, but with hydraulic dampers to
control the mech properly...

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