Blood next to litter box

Question
Im so worried about my furry baby.  
She is about 10 years old, and seems to be in good health, playful, eating and drinking, urinating and defecating as normal.  
However, after she defecates, she stands NEXT to the litter box, and squats again, this time just pooing a few drops of blood, wrapped in clear mucous (about 50/50 blood/mucous).  The whole drop is about the size of a contact lens.  This has happened 3 times in the past week.  It doesnt seem to be painful.  She isnt straining to go, and frequently is normal.
I have just lost my job, and finances are tight, so i dont want to make an unnecessary trip to the vet, unless my baby is actually ill.
Could it be that in my boredom i have been giving her too many kitty treats, and perhaps a bit too much human food too?  Is she constipated?  She is an inside only cat so possibilities for ingestion are limited.
Please also let me know if there might be any home remedies (like cod liver oil?) for whatever you think the problem might be.
Thank you for your time, and I really appreciate your advice!

Answer
Any changes in diet, such as the people food and the treats, can certainly and most expectedly will cause this. The blood you see if 'frank blood', meaning it's bright red and coming from just inside the rectum. It is a result of the colon being irritated and the vessels breaking as a result.

Stop all treats and ALL people food for good. You can give her a treat now and then later on- no people food. She should be fine in a day or so after you stop the foods. If not, you will need to call your vet.

Also get her off of any grocery store food you are feeding her as it is full of dyes and sugars, and fats. Get her on Science Diet Sensitive Stomach formula or the in Indoor Cat formula. Those will really help her digestion and the irritation. Slowly switch her over as it tells you to on the bag over a 7 day period.

That will make a huge difference in about a week. Please let me know how she does.