First off thanks for taking in these furbabies.  I do not think that
you will regret it.  Just one question - how does your wife feel about
this ??  If she is not really on board for it I would say "Don't do
it" rather then getting them them having to return them later because
of problems.  I see no mention of your wife anywhere in the post other
then you are married.

As for litter training is it possible to keep them locked in the room
where you are going to have their litter box for a day or at least
overnight so there learn where it is going to be??

Don't expect everything to go great right away.  Give them time to get
used to their new home and you.  Don't force yourself on them right
away.

As for letting them outside what kind of area are you in??  Lots of
traffic, rural, wooded, etc.  Will they be safe outside??  I am really
not an outdoor cat person myself.  I have picked up too many dead cats
off the road or had too many put down because of injuries.  Where you
have 2 and if you provide them with thing to keep them busy they
should be great indoors.  I would be too worried about mine if they
went outdoors.

My furbabies

http://members.aol.com/larrystark/

If you let them outdoors I would microchip them or at the least put
breakaway collar with you name and address on it.

On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:53:49 +0200, in alt.cats you wrote:

thank you for adopting the skittish one.

As someone who has tamed skittish cats, I have some experience with this.

Cats are naturally drawn to litter.  Put the litter box down, show them
where it is, and that is that.  If you have a large or multi level house,
you might consider a few extra litter boxes since kittens are a lot like
kids, and will hold off going to the box until it is almost too late.  the
experts recommend 1.5 litter boxes per cat.  Since they are siblings, two
will probably do, but if you have any problems with the cats using the box,
put another one down.  Cats are very clean animals, and do not like having
to walk over their own waste (or someone else's).

Since they are skittish, bring them home and set them up in one room.  Food
as far away from the litter as possible.
When they have calmed down, you can let them explore the  house.  Keep an
eye on them to ensure they don't get lost in the house.

I would suggest that you consider keeping them indoors for longer than two
weeks, or there is a good chance you will loose them.  Something out side
will spook them, and they will get lost.  Microchipping will help, but only
if they find their way to a shelter or vet.   Once they are no longer
freaked out by you, you can try doing supervised visits to the yard.  You
may even want to consider a harness and leash to help them adjust.  Just so
you know, and I probably have no chance of changing your mind, (doesn't mean
I am not going to try) but it is not cruel to keep cats in doors.  I have
six cats, and they all live indoors exclusively, and are happy and
contented.  Being allowed out doors poses all sorts of dangers that being
indoors keeps them from, wild animals, stray dogs, mean kids, cars,
neighbors who put pesticide on their lawn, and just ol plain getting lost
among others.  Cats who live indoors only have a MUCH longer life expectancy
than those who go out. I also find that you are able to form a much closer
bond with your cats if you keep them indoors.  Dont just take my word for
it.  Do some research.  A lot of the 'old wisdom' about keeping cats is very
outdated

Such as food.  Science diet may be the "leading brand" but all that means is
they sell a lot of it, doesn't mean it is any good.  It is full of fillers
and by products that cats can't metabolize.  The experts are coming to the
conclusion that dry food is akin to McDonald's food.  Yes it has nutrients,
but there is so much garbage that goes along for the ride that it is bad for
your cats.  Dry food does NOT help a cat's teeth.  The new recommendations
for food is a high protein low carb food, with out grains.  Check out
http://www.catinfo.org (a website run by a vet)

It might not be a bad idea to get an initial visit with a vet after
adoption.  Yes, I know everything will be covered, but this way the vet will
have records of this, so they can send you reminders to keep their shots up
to date, and if perchance anything bad happens, you won't have to spend time
searching for records.

What ever you decide, I can tell these cats will be loved, which is so much
more than they had, or even had a chance at.  So few people are willing to
take a chance on a skittish cat, much less two of them.

I would suggest leaving a tray in a well sited position and then moving it
gradually to where you want it to be.  if need be, leave them with a choice
of trays.  make sure the litter is kept clean.  ask the centre what type of
litter they use.  if you use the same litter for a short while they will
know exactly where they should be going.     show them the tray as soon as
they come into your house, obviously don't do this if they seems stressed,
but do it as soon as you can.  after feeding, place them in the tray to
reinforce the message (so to speak)