Is it safe for my 5-week-old kitten to play with newborn kittens?

Question

I have a 5 week old male kitten and just took in a stray cat who used to belong to someone so she could give birth she had a litter of 7 kittens 5days ago is it ok and or safe for my 5 week old kitten to be around and try to play with the newborns the mom cat doesn't seem to mind any of my kittens actions but still I worry don't know much about cats need advice on what to do now that I have 9 total. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | 35 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

How lovely of you to take in this stray cat and her kittens! I would keep your five week old male kitten separate from the kittens. At five weeks old, your kitten will not be vaccinated and can pass along diseases such as calicivirus and feline distemper to the kittens and their mother. Conversely, the mother could pass those along to your kitten as she likely isn't vaccinated. Fleas and intestinal worms can also be passed between them. I would take your kitten into your vet when he's six to eight weeks old to get his first vaccines, and be sure to take the mother and her kittens into the vet in the next couple of weeks to get check ups for them. You can discuss with the vet when to get the mother vaccinated and spayed so she won't have another litter of kittens, and when to start the kittens on their vaccines. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Is it safe for my 5-week-old kitten to play with newborn kittens?

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