What bothers me most about this entire situation is first you said this "I am not a cat person and I don't really know much about them but - my neighbors have strays every fall & spring. they ususally have litters and fend for themselves etc. this weekend we heard crying - walked over and in the bushes we saw 2 newborn kittens -"
And then the neighbors took them in? If they are negligent and irresponsible as they sound, why allow them to go into a home where the people don't care in the first place? I'm confused by the entire situation, and wish you had gone with advice we'd given. If they even survived, they'll be the next ones fending for themselves, and reproducing everywhere.