5 week old kitten - trace of blood in stool

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~

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.

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...

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.

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