Very young cat having kittens

Question
My female cat is less than a year old and is pregnant and about to give birth any minute now.  The father cat is here in the household and I want to know if he will present a problem to the litter when they are born.
Should I keep him away from the mother and the newborns and if so, why and for how long?
thanks

Answer
Hi Donna.  Generally, no, the father of a litter will not pose any threat to the kittens.  Cats have an uncanny ability to know when a litter belongs to them, and many will even share in raising the kittens, protecting them, cleaning them and teaching them.  Others may hiss a time or two and then not have anything to do with the litter at all.  However, nature is unpredictable, and there always is the possibility that a father would hurt his litter (as is there a possibility the mother would!).  So interaction should be very closely monitored.

However, if the father goes outdoors at all, I would say to keep them separated.  The father can bring in disease and parasites that may be lifethreatening to the kittens.  And I'd keep them separated until the kittens have been vaccinated for two weeks.

Also, the mother can become pregnant again as soon as 48 hours after delivery, so I would recommend getting the male neutered immediately and keeping them separated for a couple weeks thereafter (it is possible for some sperm to be viable for up to two weeks after a neuter).