Neonatal Reflex Checks: 6 Scores on Days 0-14

Six checks, scored 0 to 2 each, on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 turn a vague sense that a kitten is fading into 4 numbers you can compare. Every check day gives a 12-point total. The pass lines most catteries use are 8 or more on day 0, 9 or more on day 3, and 10 or more on days 7 and 14. A drop of 2 points between checks, or a single item stuck at 0 for 24 hours, means a vet call that day rather than another night of watching.

What the 6 items actually measure

Suck, righting, withdrawal, urination, weight gain, and muscle tone. Score 2 for strong and repeatable, 1 for weak or slow, 0 for absent. Suck is present at birth, peaks from day 0 to 21, and fades as the eyes open. Righting appears at 14 to 21 days and is fully reliable by 28; the righting reflex page covers the test in detail. Urination needs stimulation until 21 to 28 days, then becomes self-driven. Withdrawal to a toe pinch is present at birth and should be brisk within 2 seconds. Tone means the kitten resists being rolled over and pulls its legs back inside 2 seconds. Weight gain is the only item measured in grams, and it is the one that moves first.

Reflex calendar: what appears when

Weigh every morning before the first feed

Birth weight runs 90 to 120 g. A loss of up to 10 percent is allowed in the first 24 hours, then the target is 10 to 15 g a day. A kitten doubles birth weight by day 7 to 10 and triples it by day 21. In practice: 95 g at birth, about 190 g on day 8, about 285 g on day 21. Weigh at the same hour on a 1 g scale, log it in a kitten weight tracker, and always before the first feed, and write the number on the same sheet as the 6 scores. Flat weight for 2 mornings, or a 5 percent drop in 48 hours, outranks every behavioral sign by 24 to 48 hours. That is why the scale comes before the stethoscope in a cattery.

Reading the day-3 score: 9 is the line

At 72 hours a litter should be quiet, warm, and round, with 6 to 8 hours between feeds and no crying after a meal. A kitten scoring 8 or less, or 2 points under its littermates, gets a temperature check before anything else. A rectal reading of 35.5 to 37.5 C is hypothermia, and feeding a cold kitten causes ileus and aspiration. Warm it to 37 C over 30 to 60 minutes with a 38 C pad under half the box, then feed 1 to 2 ml per 100 g of body weight every 2 hours. Recheck the score at 24 hours; no movement in 2 consecutive checks is a vet call.

Day 7 and day 14: eyes, ears, and elimination

Eyes open between day 7 and 14, ears between day 14 and 17, and the ear canal stays closed until about day 17. Any pus, glued lids, or swelling between day 10 and 14 needs a vet the same day (see neonatal eye infection), because a closed lid should never be forced open at home. By day 10 a kitten should pass 1 to 2 soft yellow stools a day and 4 to 8 wet wipes of urine in 24 hours. At day 14 the score should be 10 to 12, weight 200 to 260 g, and the kitten should crawl 30 cm toward warmth in under 60 seconds. Two litters in the same room need separate sheets and separate 1 g scales; cross-suckling hides a 20 g gap for a week.

The four things only a vet may do

Four jobs sit outside any home protocol: necropsy after a death, oxytocin for retained placenta or weak uterine contractions, galactagogues for a queen with low milk, and cabergoline for drying up milk at weaning. Each needs a diagnosis, a weight-based dose, and monitoring for 2 to 6 hours. Keep a dead kitten in a sealed bag at 4 C and bring it in within 24 hours; a lab necropsy costs $60 to $200 and can change the plan for the next litter. Never dose a queen by guess: 0.1 ml of the wrong injectable can shut down milk for 3 days and cost a litter 10 percent of its weight in 48 hours.

When the score should send you to the clinic

• Total of 8 or less on day 0, 9 or less on day 3, or 10 or less on day 7.
• Any item at 0 for 24 hours, or a 2-point drop between 2 checks.
• Weight flat for 2 mornings, or down 5 percent in 48 hours.
• Rectal temperature under 37.5 C or over 39.5 C.
• No stool for 36 hours, or a hard, distended abdomen.
• Crying for more than 20 minutes after a feed, 3 feeds in a row.

Run the sheet in 5 steps: score at the same hour on days 0, 3, 7, and 14; weigh before the first feed on a 1 g scale; write both numbers on one page; compare against littermates, not against a book; and call when the total drops 2 points. Photograph the sheet at each check so a vet can read 4 days of data in 30 seconds. A litter that holds 10 to 12 points and gains 10 g a day needs no intervention beyond warmth, 6 to 8 feeds, and clean bedding changed every 24 hours.

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