Kitten Litterbox issues.

Question
Hi Ali,
I am in desperate need of your advice.  In September I took in a feral kitten, he was about two weeks old at the time. His mama was caught and taken to a shelter and he was found by himself under a shed. He had worms and coxcidia(sp) so he had diarrhea and would always end up relieving himself on the floor in the bathroom and foyer right outside of the bathroom. He will urinate in his box, but will defecate in the same areas as when we first brought him home.  I've tried cat attract recently, and he still will run allll the way upstairs and go in the bathroom or foyer.  Is there anything I can do to curb this behavior?  I've read about Enzyme cleaners but I've yet to try that yet.  I now have him locked in the laundry room with two litter boxes.  Both boxes were empty this morning, but he slipped out of the room and relieved himself in the foyer once again.  Also, he likes to nip and bite when held and petted.  Is this normal?  Thank You in advance for your suggestion.

Answer
Bev,

As for the litter box issues enzymatic cleaners are the answer. The way that an enzymatic cleaner works is by using friendly bacteria to eat the bacteria that cause body fluids to smell. This will discourage mistakes made on smell alone. Since your kitty has been doing this for awhile out of habit you might also want to try either putting a litter box where he generally makes his mistakes or a bowl of food. The litter box shows him where you want him to eliminate and over time you should be able to move it little by little to a new location. The bowl of food should outright discourage elimination in the area because cats are fastidious creatures and generally don't eliminate where they eat.The nipping and biting while held might actually take longer. You will need to watch the kitten's body language. If you see his tail swishing or feel him tighten up it's a good bet that cuddle time is over. If he flattens his ears that's another sign that he isn't happy. It may take some time to resocialise him to the point where he is comfortable being held and petted. If he doesn't settle easily you can try a Bach Flower Essence called Rescue Remedy. Rescue Remedy is a homeopathic remedy that you can purchase at most natural health/health food stores. It tends to work well to alleviate anxiety, the dosage is 6-8 drops every morning in a fresh bowl of water. It might help to calm him down and learn to trust affection without biting or nipping. Hopefully this answers your question. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.