Kittens - Spencer,IA

First off, I don't let my kids make decisions about pets, because inevitably I will be the one caring for the pet. So unless you are willing to assume all the work, don't keep the cats. If you are, you will need:

Vet visit (checkup & shots & de-worming)
Flea medication (preferably prescribed by vet)
Collars
Litter box
Kitty Litter (multi-cat to control odor)
Poop Scoop
Kitten toys
Scratching post/climber
Food (ask Vet which is best)
Treats
Brush if either of them has long fur

Cats will make themselves happy. Want the most comfortable chair in the house----move the cat ;-)) .
As long as they are able to eat kitten food and will drink water and know to use the litter box for now all is good. The Momma cat shows her babies how to use the litter box so you may need to teach them how to bury.
They might need a bath in the bathroom sink with flea shampoo and flea collars.
In a couple of weeks you may need a visit to the vet for shots, call and ask.

I love kittens! They don't take much work. They need a trip to the vet, who will tell you how often they need shots, some are only every three years. Unless they actually have fleas, don't do anything about fleas. In all the years I've had cats (over 25), we only had fleas once and it only took one bath to get rid of them. Cats do not need regular baths, ever! They clean themselves.

Food, water, and a litter box is all they need. Toys are you fingers, toes, and a piece of string and something to bat around. If you don't want to declaw them, get a scratching post - coat it with catnip - and encourage them to use it.

Oh I plan to me the crazy cat lady! I love cats - kittens are fun and cute, and my Aunt has had great success having dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs all live together and not eat one another.

Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives. I do not declaw - but I do keep kitty nails clipped short - if you play with their feet when they are little, they get used to it and clipping nails is easy peasy.

Feed them a good quality cat food - Iams is a great brand - even my vet grudgingly says so.

Take them for their first vet visit and the vet will outline what shots they need (just like kids) and when to spay/neuter them.

Toys - get them toys - have your son play with them every day - just go browse the cat aisle at the stores - lots of neat toys.

Love them - cats are strange creatures, very independent, but if you get them used to being held and carried and loved on when they are little, they will be warm, cuddly pets for life.

Enjoy them!!

A tip to save you some money:
kittens don't need toys! You can make a small ball out of tin foil and they will bat it and chase it around for hours. Same thing with a small, balled up piece of scrap paper.
We have a kitten right now too, it's so much fun, enjoy!!!

toys, a scratching post (declawing may not be the end of the world, but it's pretty brutal- amputation of knuckles. trim their claws instead.) that's about it! since you're opening your home to both babies, they'll have company, as well as attention from your family.
sounds like those kittens had a lucky star shining over them when your DS saw them.
:) khairete
S.

Ever since I read about how devistating cats are to the wild bird population, I have not had or liked cats.

I would take them to the animal shelter so they can be fixed and if not adopted, they won't be turned loose on an unsuspecting bird population.

Good luck to you and yours.

All our cats were strictly indoor, so we got them fixed and declawed in front only. I would suggest this if you don't want your children scratched or your furnishings ripped to shreads.

They (at least mine) don't grow out of the "kneeding" stage where they take their claws and dig them into anything they can get stuck in (our kitties fav place was the box spring on our bed - they never liked the scratching posts we bought). Luckily they were declawed so we didn't care.

Kitties are lots of fun and can live up to 20+ years. Enjoy!