5 week old kitten - trace of blood in stool

[Katalina]

Hello fellow catlovers...

I am new here and hope you don't mind me jumping in right away but I need some advice/help here. I am a new mom to 2 adorable 5 weeks old kittens that have recently been adopted. First, I have to mention that we got these kittens from a woman who's cat had the litter. She had said that they were ready to leave the mom, and I was not aware until it was too late that they should not have left the mom this early. We've had them now for 3 days. They are energetic, playful, they are eating soft kitten food, they are just learning to drink water from a bowl (usually I just add some water to their food to make sure they have enough moisture), they are using the litter box and I feel they are doing great. I am a very over-protective mommy and ended up taking them to the vet yesterday because one of my kittens had thrown up a little, didn't want to eat one meal (but had been eating regularly prior to that). I was afraid because they weren't drinking water that he may have been dehydrated, so I took them both just in case. One of them "went" in the carrier by the time we got to the vet, so we did a stool sample on her while we were there to test for parasites and everything came back good.

The reason why I am a little concerned today, is because my other kitten had a stool a half hour ago, and they was a little trace of blood in it. It looked like a regular poop, but he also seemed to be straining a bit. I bottled up the sample so that I could give it to my vet on Monday when they are open again just to make sure. They are closed on the weekends. I don't think that it's an emergency matter...I will keep a good eye on him with all other behaviors. Has anyone else experienced this, and it turned out to be nothing? As I said before, all other behaviors are normal, it was just this one stool. I know they are very young and very fragile right now, and I just want to know what else I should be looking for.

Note: They have been eating "beef broth" baby food as per my veterinarian's request for the next 3 days, and then I'm supposed to start introducing the kitten food again.

Thanks in advance guys,

~Worried mommy~

[taterbug]

Did your vet go ahead and worm them? I could be from parasites, or from a "too firm" poo. I think they will be ok, especially if it was bright red blood and just a small amount. Just keep a close eye on them (which you obviously are doing!) and if it happens again, call your vet.

[Katalina]

Thanks for the response Taterbug No, he did not worm them at that time, which I was very surprised by. I am scheduled to get their first set of shots next month and I guess that's when they'll get de-wormed?

Lil' guy just woke up from his nap a little while ago and he was as playful as ever with his darling sister. He meowed for some food as well and ate like a champ, so the signs are positive. I'll keep watching

Thanks again! A little less worried now....Ah, the joys of being a mommy...

[mrblanche]

Sometimes, changing foods can cause a little of a digestion problem, either constipation or diarrhea, and that may have happened here.

It sounds like you are a concerned mommy, and you're watching out for them. Five weeks is about the lower limit, and you may have had some future problems, although having the two together will help.

[laureen227]

since they are so young, once they're back on regular food you might consider adding some KMR to their diet, just to supplement what they would've been getting from mom.

[Katalina]

Thanks MrBlanche and Laureen,

He went about an hour ago and it looked fine this time. *phew*

I did buy some KMR when I first got them and they wouldn't drink it on it's own, so I had to mix it in with their food. I guess I should still be giving them it...huh? Will do

Thanks again for the responses. I feel so much better now