Brand New Kittens - Need Advice on some Choices To Make

My cat, a Burmese or Siamese of some type, just had a litter of kittens who recently opened their eyes. Right now, they're going to have to live with my dad who has more resources than I do to take care of them with, but what do you think I should do in the long run? How old do they have to be before they are given away? Should I give them away? What's your opinion?

Video of the kittens

They are very cute little pointed domestic babies.    Really it is harder to think of anything cuter than a pointed kitten.  ( OK  I am prejudiced.)  

 I am glad you decided to come ask advice about this.   It is best to not give them away or sell them until they are  at least 10 weeks old so they get proper socialization with their mother and littermates, and  are fully weaned ( they often still continue to nurse for comfort even after 8 weeks),  and have had their first shots a couple weeks before they go to new homes  ( and also should have been de-wormed twice).    Really 12 or 13 weeks is what most reputable breeders do these days.   but 10 would be OK especially if 2 kittens go together.

 Here is an article about why it is best not to sell kittens too young  http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html

  I would strongly consider having them altered before placement.   Kittens can sometimes reach puberty as young as 4 months,   so having them altered first helps assure there won't be accidental pregnancies at a dangerously young age  and also avoids the chance the boys might start spraying as many tomcats do. 

 You can keep copies of the vet bills and then charge an adoption fee to cover the cost;  if needed you could add on the amount to get the mama cat spayed ( which can be done usually when kittens are around 8 or 9 weeks). 

I  heard someone on the video ( don't think it was you, it sounded like probably a friend,  not the owner of the kittens)  saying  "Siamese cats sell for a good price."   But these babies are not Siamese --  not with that coat!  Even as babies I can see the difference.  These are some little fluffy double coated pointed Domestic Shorthair babies with a lot of  Western / Northern cat ancestry.    and that roundness that someone in the video mentions,  is probably a sign they won't be very Siamese looking in shape either.  and I am not just talking about "modern" Siamese but the real old style ones  the way they still do look in their native country.   

Some people think every pointed cat,  or at least every pointed shorthair cat,  is a "Siamese".  but that is very far from the truth. 

  The gene for the pointed pattern came originally from Siamese but has been spread through the domestic cat population over the past 100+ years and passed down through many generations,   so by now there are lots of  cats with this coloring with hardly any Siamese in them.  

 

These kittens are super cute and of course just as deserving of loving homes  but it would be dishonest to sell them as "Siamese"    But you could advertise as "Siamese coloring" or something.   They are lucky to be pointed because that should make it easier to find homes for them. 

 I am also concerned that if you sell them as "Siamese" , and don't have them spayed/ neutered first,  the buyers might think they need to breed them.  And that's not preserving a breed,  that is making more moggies  when there are already so many moggies needing homes. 

Cute little girl in the video too!