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Jan 16, 2024

Best Cat Litter Mats in 2020: Easyology, PetFusion, IPrimio & More

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As an owner of three cats, I know that things are rarely as simple as they should be when it comes to litter box preferences and habits. Two of my cats will use one litter box for solid waste, another for liquid waste, and one for nothing at all. The only thing the three really have in common about their litter box habits is that they all tend to scatter litter outside the box and track it all over the house.

Tired of the constant vacuuming and sweeping, I set out to determine whether cat litter mats really work and, if so, which one outshines the rest. Before starting my quest, I consulted two veterinarians: Justine Lee, DVM, author of "It's a Cat's World, You Just Live In It," and Jeff Werber, DVM, former pet expert for CBS News in Los Angeles.

What I've learned is that cat litter mats come in all shapes and sizes, some with attractive patterns and many with unusual textures. According to Lee, there are five key considerations when buying a litter mat. It should easy to clean, soft on your cat's feet, relatively wide, large enough to be able to clean up the mess, and effective at trapping litter.

Lee said that many people use cheap throwaway rugs (my previous method). However, Lee personally uses and recommends litter mats because they "help eliminate litter from being carried from the litter box into the bedroom or to the rest of the house — not only for hygiene but for health reasons too."

The primary goal of a cat litter mat is to prevent litter from being tracked all over the house and most mats accomplish this in one of two ways: 1) by using texture or special materials to trap litter so it can't be spread, or 2) by providing a physical barrier, like a tray, to contain the mess. Even the best litter mat won't stop a few grains of litter from ever reaching your floors, but some of them are certainly worthy of your consideration.

With Lee's tips in mind, I set out to test some of the most popular litter mats with my three cats to determine which ones work best.

Affordably priced and generously sized, the Easyology Premium Cat Litter Mat has a trellis pattern that makes it less of an eyesore than many cat litter mats, and it's extra thick for comfort and durability.

"[A cat litter mat] needs to be something that will retain the litter, but you want something that's very cleanable — something you can hose down and easily wash," said Werber. The Easyology Premium Cat Litter Mat checks both boxes.

The woven texture effectively traps litter granules to prevent tracking but can be vacuumed for easy cleaning. The materials are also water-resistant, so you can rinse it out in the sink or with a hose if you have to. Fine PVC fibers are woven to create a thick, durable mat that cleans a cat's paws without irritating them.

One issue I had with some of the litter mats I tested is that one of my cats didn't like their texture. She would jump over the mats, entirely defeating their purpose, but not so with this one. The Easyology Premium Cat Litter Mat had a padded feel to it and didn't slide as much as other models.

If you're looking for something that will blend in with your decor, the Easyology Premium Cat Litter Mat comes in seven different colors. It's available in two sizes (35 inches by 23 inches and 47 inches by 36 inches).

Pros: Effectively traps litter, easy to clean, affordable, water-resistant, durable, nonskid

Cons: Tougher to clean liquid messes

I keep two litter boxes in my living room because that's the room my cats tend to frequent most. As you can imagine, frequent trips to the litter box create more opportunities for litter spread and scatter. I like the Litterbox.com Litter Trap Mat because it has the capacity to hold larger volumes of litter before needing to be cleaned.

The mat is not quite as wide as the Easyology, but it is lighter and features a unique design. Marketed as a litter trapper rather than a litter mat, this dual-layer model features a heavy-duty mesh layer over a urine-resistant mat. Scattered litter becomes trapped between the honeycomb-shaped openings of the top layer and falls through to the bottom layer when you open it up.

In my experience as a cat owner, I've found that almost all cat litter tracks to some degree, but the Litter Trap Mat does a great job of hiding the scatter until you get around to cleaning it up. Lee said the litter mat's honeycomb texture is key in trapping litter so your cat doesn't track it through the house. We found it to be effective for both large and small granules, keeping them tucked away in the top layer. For cleaning, you can empty the collected litter back into the box or dump it into a trash can.

Though the mat hides litter scatter, its unique texture makes it a little more difficult to clean liquid messes. The lower layer is urine resistant, but I had a difficult time scrubbing stains out of the top layer. I also found that the mat slides across the floor a little more easily than the Easyology, but it wasn't a problem in my carpeted living room.

Pros: Lightweight, traps litter, easy to empty, urine-resistant mat

Cons: Only one size, can slide, more difficult for liquid messes

Fortunately, my cats are pretty good at keeping their business inside the litter box, but we've had the occasional accident. Nothing is worse than scrubbing accidents out of the carpet, and the odor never seems to really go away. The PetFusion ToughGrip Cat Litter Mat is perfect for situations where you want to protect your floor against messes that include more than litter.

Made of premium FDA-grade silicone, this litter mat is completely waterproof. It's also antimicrobial and nontoxic, so I feel comfortable using it around my cats. The heavier silicone material also means that the mat doesn't slide, though I noticed it had a stippled texture on the bottom to provide extra grip just in case. I was also glad to see that it fell flat right out of the box — I didn't have to reshape it after shipping.

This litter mat falls into the second of the two categories I mentioned earlier: It contains litter rather than trapping it. The mat is designed with a raised lip and elevated inner edges to help contain litter spread, but it doesn't do much to keep your cat from walking on the litter that spills out of the box.

It does, however, offer a unique feature I was surprised to find: a side spout. When you're ready to clean the mat, you can fold it in half or roll it up, funneling the litter into the notched spout for a nice clean pour into the trash can.

Though the PetFusion mat may not trap litter as well as the Easyology and Litterbox.com models, it is by far the easiest to clean. Warm soapy water is sufficient to clean up most messes, or you can spray it down with a hose. The silicone materials are actually quite soft as well, making it nice and gentle on sensitive paws.

The mat comes in two sizes, large (30 inches by 23inches) and extra-large (38 inches by 26 inches). I tested both and found them to be identical in all but size.

Pros: Waterproof, nontoxic, antimicrobial, nonskid, easy to clean, soft texture

Cons: Doesn't trap litter well, fairly heavy

Cats are picky about most things, including their cat litter. Having tested most of the top cat litter brands, I'm familiar with cats and their problems with certain textures. One thing I wanted to know when testing litter mats is how much comfort really mattered. I asked Lee if there were any special concerns with texture, particularly for declawed cats. Though she doesn't condone declawing, she assured me that, as long as the procedure was done correctly at a young age, "most cats don't have phantom pain and shouldn't be more sensitive."

Even so, I thought it was worth considering comfort when testing cat litter mats. I'm not a cat, but after comparing and contrasting numerous models, I came to conclude that the iPrimio Cat Litter Trapper EZ Clean Mat offers the right balance of comfort for sensitive cat paws and effective function for discerning cat owners.

Like the Litterbox.com mat, the iPrimio mat features two layers, the top with a honeycomb texture to collect litter and the bottom layer to trap it. The bottom layer also has a waterproof plastic film to repel urine and odors. By comparison, however, the holes in the top layer are a little smaller and the surface is completely smooth. Putting myself in my cat's shoes, those are the qualities I would look for.

When it comes to cleaning, this litter trapper is like any other. You can pick the entire mat up to dump it into a trash can or back into the litter box. The bottom layer is a little stiffer than other models, so I had trouble folding it in half at first. Also, like other litter trappers, it was more efficient at containing litter than liquid. A tip I picked up from Mallory Crusta at Wilderness Cat is to slip a puppy pee pad between the layers to help control liquid messes.

Though the mat is not perfect, no cat litter mat is. If your cat has sensitive paws, however, this model might be a little more comfortable, but it ultimately comes down to individual cats and their preferences.

Pros: Effectively traps litter, two-layer design, waterproof plastic liner

Cons: Not completely nonskid, a little stiff

In case I haven't mentioned it enough, I have three cats. What I really mean when I say that is that I have a lot of litter boxes.

According to PetMed, "a multi-cat household should have the same number of litter boxes as the number of cats, plus one extra box." With my three cats, that makes a minimum of four litter boxes. I have five: one on each floor of my three-story house with two in the living room and an extra in the basement.

I can't explain why my cats will only use one litter box for solid waste and one for liquid, but I can tell you that I keep two litter boxes side by side in the living room for this reason. The Gorilla Grip Original Premium Cat Litter Mat in jumbo size is the best one I've found that is wide enough for both boxes. It features a texture and pattern design similar to the Easyology mat, but it measures a full 47 inches by 35 inches.

The mat is made from durable materials in a similar coiled mesh design, making it highly efficient in trapping litter and tough enough to run over with a vacuum. It is heavy enough to keep its shape but still soft on the paws and has nonslip backing to keep it from sliding on the floor.

Though very similar to other models I tested, what makes this model different is that it comes in multiple sizes, including a corner and a half-circle shape. It is also available in nine different colors.

Pros: Attractive, durable, effective, nonskid, easy to clean

Cons: Too large for some homes, may be tough to clean sticky messes

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