Cost of having 2 kittens - adopting when they are 3 weeks

[keyboardwithpaper]

If i adopt 2 kittens - what wodul be the cost of vaccinations etc? What woudl be the challenges of adopting such kittens - litter trauining etc? My children are keen, but we both have full time jobs and not sure we can manage... please share your thoughts

Are you saying you’re adopting the kittens at 3 weeks old...or getting them in 3 weeks?

Honestly if this post isn't a wind up then I would suggest you read any form of information about kittens as it doesn't sound like you know anything about them.

I do hope the "3" is a mistype. If you take them from their mother at that age they'll likely die.

I think the OP must mean adopting in three weeks.

I'm another hoping the 3 weeks is a typo. If not then as TinySleepThief suggested you need to do some research.

It honestly doesn't sound like you have the time for 2 kittens. Unless you have older teens.
How old are your children?

The minimum age for adopting kittens is 9 weeks. 12 would be better. Assuming they are coming from a reputable rescue they will come with at least one vaccination done at that age, otherwise you should get them vaccinated as soon as possible. You can look up the cost of vaccination on any vet’s website. They should probably also be wormed if that isn’t up to date. Then they will need neutering as well, as soon as possible. Many rescues include neutering in the cost of the adoption. As soon as you get them take out insurance, again a good rescue will probably have them insured for the first month. If they aren’t coming from a rescue that has had them seen by a vet take them straight to a vet (if you can) to have them looked over. Our last kitten had to have £100’s of vet work in his first few months due to a malformation of his jaw, covered by his insurance.
Kittens who have been with their mother will be litter trained.

If these are orphaned, which is the only reason I can think of for getting them so young, you will need to litter train. I have had slightly older orphans and one was super easy to train, just plonked her in the litter when she looked like she was about to go, the other took ages to get the idea and snuck into corners to do his business. A large pen might be a good idea to contain them until they are trained. If you are taking on orphans I would recommend getting in touch with your local Cat Protection branch, they will be able to give you lots of advice.

This website is a very good source of information: icatcare.org/advice/thinking-of-getting-a-cat/

If that is not a typo, you absolutely must not take the kittens from their mother at 3 weeks old! They will be far too young.
Even expertly hand-reared kittens often have behavioural problems.

If it is a typo, and you are adopting kittens at the correct age, someone is going to need to be around / able to come home and feed them during the day for the first couple of months. They have tiny stomachs so usually recommend around 4 small meals a day whilst they are little.

They will need to be vaccinated, microchipped and neutered, and flea and work treatment (usually monthly).
Depending on where you are etc I'd expect an initial outlay for vacc/chip/neuter of around £150 per kitten.
Obviously you'll have monthly costs of flea + worm tx, food, litter, and insurance (if you opt for this). Prices are going to vary depending on what you choose.

Insurance is a good idea, unless you could lay your hands on several thousand pounds today to pay for a complicated fracture or treatment for liver shunt, then I'd say you need it.
Look for whole of life cover (not an annual policy) and pay attention to the level of cover + excess.

they are orphans...my fruend found them on the street...

Then they need to be fostered in one home, bottle fed and weaned before going to a family home.

You don’t have time to do this.

@keyboardwithpaper

they are orphans...my fruend found them on the street...

Orphan kittens need round the clock care. It would be kinder to the animals to take them to someone with experience and knowledge. I know you want to help, but in this case letting them go to someone who knows what they're doing is the best way to help.

You need a professional, OP. This is not the job of a lay person. Speak to Cats Protection or similar.

Are you prepared to bottled feed them every couple of hours, day and night?

Are you prepared to get them to toilet by washing their bits and bum after every feed?

Are you prepared to clean them regularly, wean them but also prepared to the fact they might die anyway as young kittens are vulnerable without their mum?

If you can’t answer yes to each and every one of those questions, do not take them.

You can't look after 3 week old kittens and work full time,sorry.

Phone a vet and ask about costs.

they are orphans...my fruend found them on the street...

Why wouldn't your friend take them to a vets? Surely that's what normal people do. They dont just give them to someone who works full time with young children and no knowledge of cats??

If you are working full-time you cannot care for such young kittens - they need round the clock care.
Also, personally, I'm not sure I'd adopt hand-reared kittens with children, as they haven't had a mother cat to teach them how to use their claws and teeth so they can be more scratchy and bitey than kittens that have had their mum to teach them. They can also become overly bonded to humans and have other behavioural issues.

I agree. You will not be able to hand rear kittens of that age. They need to go to someone who knows what they are doing and has the time.

If you want kittens, adopt older ones fro a rescue - these are not the kittens for you.

They would need intensive care, they can’t go to the toilet themselves so need to be helped to wee and poo. If they aren’t getting the care they need now and immediately they might not survive.

Take them to a vet or an animal shelter immediately.

If cost is your first and only concern you really have no idea about animals and shouldn’t even consider taking on such high need pets.

Please ring your vets and they will advise.
Ideally they should be placed in an existing small litter and 'adopted' by the mother cat who can take care of them.
If taken away from their mother too soon they are unlikely to survive.
Very sad for the kittens, you, and your children.

thank you, I realised it is a huge project and I have no knowledge to handle this. I appreciate your time and advice.

I realised it is a huge project and I have no knowledge to handle this

Has your friend taken the kittens to a vets or contacted a rescue charity to make provision for them?

We found a kitten. Poor thing was so young his eyes were not even opened. Clearly had been dumped. My mum, who had just got through the newborn stage with my sister took him in. There were many vet checks. My mum was more tired looking after kitten than she was with new born. He survived until he was 10 years. My mum already had cats and knew what she was getting into as we had had kittens in the past.

This is not something you can go into lightly, Yes, it was totally worth it but it is not fun and cute. You are on survival mode and for many weeks your job is to get the kittens through another day with no certainty they will survive. You will have to really educate yourself and educate your children that for quite a while they are not pets to coo over they are animals that need to survive. We spent many weeks not making lots of noise, we spent many weeks watching mum juggle a baby and a kitten, her time was not ours. Having a job out of the house was out of the question.
You will have 2 kittens....double the work and it could lead to double the heart ache. These kittens will need to go to somebody who knows exactly what they are doing and will know exactly warning signs to look out for.

Baby animals are very fragile and need to be hand reared by someone who knows what they are doing. An animal shelter is the best place for them. They are living beings, not toys.

Would love an update - I hope the kittens are still alive and being taken care of properly.