My kids came home yesterday afternoon. I'm happy to say they seem well adjusted and adaptable. I wanted to pass a few things by the experts.

I'm glad I got siblings. I was worried that just one would be too lonely and scared and they are really coming out of their shell. Miss Pepper jumped right in with me in no time. Jarvis is coming around.

I've got them set in their safe room and they went to sleep together at about 2030. They have been quiet all night and I don't want to wake them by opening the door and checking in. Lol.

I do want to open the house to them sooner rather than later. But here are my questions:

1. Should I keep them in their safe room another day or so?
2. I would really like to keep them in their room overnight and when I'm out during the day since they're still very young. But when's a good age or time to give them run of the house? They're using the litter box and I want to make sure they keep doing that.
3. Any more tips for getting them totally settled in? Can I expect them to be ok if I open the door (supervised) tomorrow?

Personally I would leave them the safe room for a week to ten days, depending on how it goes. If you have other cats or other pets then I would leave them there for 2-4 weeks, to minimise the risk of infection and to make sure they are truly confident in their new home before introducing them to other animals.
You need them totally settled and get their bearings in one room first. This is a huge step for kittens to make, they will be highly stressed, even though they will hide it.
One step at a time.
What is the rush?
Giving them the run of the house when they are very young will only lead to toilet accidents as they get lost and panic, or they cannot reach the litter tray in time, that often means they end up peeing and pooping around the back of the sofa and that can then be a difficult habit to break.
Jarvis who is "coming round" and even Miss Pepper may lose her confidence in a bigger space, both may end up more scared and stressed than they need to be, and that may alter the dynamics of their relationship with each other and with you long term.

Kittens are like very young children, what you do now, can shape their entire life.

Thanks. I'm glad to not rush things. :) After all, what's 10 days in comparison to a lifetime of love and chaos, right?

I'm so thrilled to have my babies at home and even more thrilled to have a group of knowledgeable people to bounce things off of.

I'm so happy to hear your kitties are adjusting well. I know your anxious for them to run about your home, but remember ... this is brand new to them. There are new smells, new humans, new walls. It can be totally overwhelming. The safe room is the best bet for them to get accustomed to their new home. I wouldn't just open the door and let them run out. Carry them into the living room and play with them. Then put them back in their safe room for the night. They will be growling daily .... and a couple of weeks should be all you need. Just know that you'll need to place litter boxes in other areas of the house as well. Since you have two kitties, you'll need three of them.

I will say the first time Raiden ran into my house (he was 6 years old), he inspected every single room. He wasn't even my cat back then. He has the run of the house except for the bathrooms. He has a think with plastic bags that are in the wastepaper baskets.

I kept mine exclusively in the saferoom for a week or so, waiting for them to be 100% confident with their new surroundings and with me. When they were 100% confident, and showing interest in what is behind the closed door, I knew it was time to give them more, so then started showing them other rooms, one at a time, supervised, then back to the safe room. I did that for a number of days before giving them the run of the house (supervised). I think it was actually several weeks before I gave them the run of the house unsupervised.

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The little monsters 3

Awww that's lovely to hear they are settling in so well. Do you have any photos yet?

I'm at home mostly during the day just school drop off and pick up time I am missing.

I put both cats in the kitchen when I am out only because I don't trust Dexter with my fish tank! He is very interested and I have caught him a couple of times attempting to leap on top of it. Caught him mid-air both times!

Also he is such a little monkey I am sure he would find some mischief to get up to even if I'm only missing for an hour or so!

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

Awww they are so cute.

Love the one on the sofa "growling"

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie