4 months old kitten constantly stepping in his feces

[Mffrp]

Hi everyone,

I have adopted a kitten at the end of May. He was fairly small (the smallest of his siblings) but I took him relatively early (we think he must have been born in the middle of April) because he was living in undesirable conditions (though still with his mother and two siblings). On the same day I adopted him, I took him to the vet who confirmed I had done well to get him out of his living environment. He was underweight and completely covered in lice eggs and a few big fleas.
He used the litter box from the very first day, and I don't remember any notable issues in the very first days, but then, he started to step in his feces each time he went and while turning in place to cover it. He does it to this day, in his now much bigger box.
I've tried several different litters, and nothing has ever improved. A few days ago he even came out of the box with a piece of feces still hanging from his bum (like a good 3 centimeters of it).
I realize it has to do with the fact that he didn't have all the time he should have had with his mother, but the vet did say he would probably not have survived much longer where he was, and when I took him he was weaned.
I have spent the last 10 weeks or so watching him, ready to take him out of the box before he starts stepping in it. I let him alone a few times and he's always ended up dirty and I've struggled to clean him up. I have never missed a day. But it's had a huge impact on my sleep, on my work and on my mental health. And he currently even has a bout of diarrhea so it's twice a day.
I don't know what to do anymore, it's becoming very tough for me to worry about this constantly. I can't leave the house until I know he is done, I stay up till 2am sometimes if timings change and have been getting up at 7 am each and every day ever since he arrived, I regularly have to tell my students to wait or postpone the classes I teach online, and I'm incredibly tired. Feces analysis didn't turn out any issue.

I've read countless posts about this here and elsewhere, but all I seem to read is that after a few weeks they'll grow out of it.
What can I do when he is now four months old and nothing changes?
Thank you so much for reading this long post, I wanted to give a full picture of the situation.

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

I went through this recently. Getting a larger box helped some but the main thing was to firm up her poops. Even when it wasn't diarrhea it was a little wet, and that meant that she got it on her very easily.

I found s. Boulardii to be helpful in this regard. (My cat also had giardia, which was treated with antibiotics but it took the s. Boulardiito get her gut back to normal).

But man it was a frustrating time.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on being a new cat parent. And thanks for rescuing this little guy and giving him a home.

About his litter box issues, it sounds like the problem is with the consistency of his stool. Stepping on a normal formed stool shouldn't really cause "much" mess. But diarrhea, certainly would. And being constipated could explain the piece that didn't quite make it into the litter box.

Here's a chart that explains things, and might be helpful.
Cat Poop Chart - Hypoallergenic Dog Food | Dry Cat Food | Scrumbles

Also, if he has long fur, sometimes trimming the fur around his butt can help.
Be Kind To Your Cats’ Behinds! Dirty Cat Butts Prevention And Treatment – TheCatSite Articles

What kind of food does he eat? Some cats have sensitivity to certain foods and/or additives in the food.

 

[Mffrp]

Thank you both for your replies!
This is my first cat, so I probably assumed the consistency was normal when it isn't. He's having a bit of diarrhea now, but mostly the shape looks good and the color is darkish brown.
He eats a combination of wet and dry food, Purina kitten kibble and wet food from a local brand which has a fairly good composition (I tried giving him a very high quality organic wet food, but he "buried" it and didn't touch it at all).

Are there any additives I should be on the lookout for?

Many thanks for the advice about probiotics, I've started to give him Purina Fortiflora a couple of days ago. Therr doesn't seem to be S. boulardii in it, but it nothing improves I will definitely look for that.
How long should I give him probiotics? I've been sold a small box with five small packets, one per day, but I have no idea if I should get more for a longer treatment.
He had to take antibiotics around a month ago because he caught a cold, but my vet didn't prescribe probiotics to protect his flora

 

[Mffrp]

These are the ingredients of the two wet foods I give him (hope it's ok to post this)

and he's thankfully short haired, so that's one less problem to deal with here

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a couple TCS article on cat food, that you might find helpful. But, as you already found out, just because a food is considered healthy, or is organic, that doesn't mean the cat will automatically eat it.

How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat – TheCatSite Articles
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat – Part 2 – TheCatSite Articles

 

[di and bob]

Changing foods can cause diarrhea too. I would start giving him something more generic, like Friskies Turkey and Cheese shreds, or Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers in turkey or chicken. Sometimes those 'high quality' foods contain things that cats just aren't used to.