a kitten question

Question
I adopted a stray kitten from a friend last night and the kitten is eating, drinking water and using the litter box. I noticed though that there was blood in the kittens stool.  I didn't notice any sign of worms.  Any suggestions?  

Answer
Hi Barbara!  Congrats on your new baby!
Blood in the stool is actually not that uncommon.  It very well may be due to an intestinal parasite.  Not always can we see worms.  Round worms are usually the only type of worm that we can truly see, but we can't see the eggs.  Coccidia, an intestinal parasite common to kittens, would cause blood in the stool.  Your best bet would be to drop off a stool sample at your veterinarians to have it checked, so that if this is caused by an intestinal parasite, the kitten can be dewormed promptly.
Changing foods can also cause a stomache upset.  If you have changed brands of food abruptly, you may want to shred some boneless/skinless/plain chicken and feed that to the kitten for a couple of days.  This is very bland and easy for the stomach to digest, which will give the kitten's belly a rest if it's upset.
It's also important to have a kitten vet visit.  Just an initial check up to make sure that the kitten is healthy.  During this visit, the kitten will receive it's first set of vaccinations, have a fecal test, be dewormed, a feline leukemia test, FIV test, and have his/her eyes, lungs, ears, heart and weight checked as well.  I am not sure if the kitten has had any veterinary care yet, since you've just adopted her, but she may have already had a thorough checkup.
I hope this helps!
Hilary