Credit:
Reviewed / Amber Bouman
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Credit:
Reviewed / Amber Bouman
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The PetFusion ToughGrip mat was impressively easy to shake out, vacuum or wash to keep clean. Read More
The Fresh Kitty Jumbo Foam mat was surprisingly effective at capturing litter and looked good on the floor. Read More
The iPrimo mat uses honeycomb holes to contain litter then opens like a book to easily shake out material. Read More
A double layer mat with a honeycomb pattern, the Pieviev opens like an envelope to shake litter out. Read More
The Gorilla Grip comes in a variety of colors and sizes, and did well during our real-world testing. Read More
No matter how much you love your cat, you probably don’t love stepping in scattered litter that they kick out of the box. Even the staunchest cat lover likely employs a cat litter box mat to help trap bits that escape whenever the kitty exits the box. And while there is no best cat litter mat in existence that’ll collect every grain of litter, there are some cat litter mats that are much, much better at the job than others.
The main goal of a cat litter mat is to get your cat to walk across it after exiting the box to collect litter; the material used for a cat litter mat is often designed to get cats to spread their toes or wipe their feet to release errant granules of cat litter.
When looking for the best cat litter mat for your feline, remember that some cats are willing to walk across any cat litter mat you place in front of them, while others may jump entirely over a cat litter mat they don’t approve of.
The best cat litter mat type is one that is a good size for your cat litter box, can easily be cleaned with soap and water, is great at cat litter trapping, and, more importantly, is one that your cat will actually use to wipe their small cat paws.
To help you find the best cat litter mat, we explored a variety of options available online. After researching thousands of products and user reviews, we found the best cat litter mats for pet parents and their pets.
Of all the mats we tested, the PetFusion ToughGrip was the easiest to clean.
The Fresh Kitty Jumbo Foam Cat Litter Mat was effective at collecting litter and looked good on the floor.
Effectively collects litter
Waterproof
Easy to clean litter and liquids
Not great for gunky messes
Prone to spilling
Can absorb a lot of litter
Waterproof
Easy to shake clean
Not great for gunky messes
Easy to spill
Tends to curl up at the sides
Effective at collecting litter
Available in many sizes and colors
Not good for gunky messes
Backing material is subject to tears
Cat testers did not like
Effective at collecting litter
Impressively comfortable for loop enclosure
Backing material is flimsy
Difficult to clean
Effective at containing litter
Waterproof
Multiple sizes and colors
Hard to clean gunky messes
Flexible rubber is awkward to move and clean
Creases
Natural fibers
Great for scratching
Small sizes
Not waterproof
Doesn’t contain litter well
A close-up of how litter collects on the Pieviev, CatGuru, and Gorilla Grip litter mats.
Cats are at least as picky and individual as people, so finding an across-the-board, perfect top pick among cat litter mats is difficult. Some cats will avoid certain textures or materials without real reason, while others seem amenable to putting their paws on almost anything.
A cat’s preferences for a given litter mat can change for health reasons or because of other changes in its environment. When shopping for the best cat litter box mat, consider the size, the materials, and how easy it might be to clean.
The best cat litter mat should be large enough to guarantee your cat will walk across it after exiting the kitty litter box; for front access, that will be directly in front of the opening, while open-top boxes will be placed in the middle of a cat litter mat. Some cat litter mats are available in various sizes or shapes, such as a half-circle for boxes in corners.
Most materials we've examined do at least a decent job of collecting litter, so much of this will come down to your—and your cat’s—preference. Cat litter mats are often made from PVC, plastic, silicone, or rubber, but there are also ones made of microfiber, sisal, jute, or polyester.
The materials themselves determine the method by which the cat litter mat collects litter; many of the cat litter mats made from PVC feature thousands of tiny loop enclosures to trap litter granules, while silicone and rubber cat litter mats often have a pattern of cups or ridges to capture litter. Plastic cat litter mats have tapered holes to collect scattered material.
One of the most important factors to consider is how easy the cat litter mat is to clean; if your cat only kicks up a bit of litter, you might be able to simply shake the cat litter mat out. But if you have an older cat or a cat with health issues, you may want something that rinses with soap and water and dries quickly.
Microfiber cat litter mats can often be washed in a machine but may also need to air dry, while other materials can usually be washed with soap and water or hosed down.
The best cat litter mats will catch most of the litter and debris your cat stirs up when exiting the box. Cat litter mats are like doormats for humans—they are made for cats to wipe their paws and get off as much litter as possible. Of course, no cat litter mat will catch every piece of litter, but they will certainly make cleanup a lot easier.
Amber Bouman
Parenting Editor
Amber Bouman is the Parenting Editor at Reviewed. She has twin toddlers and has tested everything from smart breast pumps to leather backpacks.
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