The 7 Best Cat Litter Mats, Tested In Homes With Real Cats

Best Overall

Catit Rectangle Cat Litter Mat

$13 at Amazon View on Chewy View on Catit.com

The Catit Cat Litter Mat might not be the fanciest option available, but sometimes the best option isn’t the most expensive, it’s the one that is by far the product that gives you the best bang for your buck. This rectangular mat comes in two sizes, a large coming in at 23.5 x 35.5 inches and a smaller version measuring 15.75 x 23.5 inches. But what really stands out is how great it is at trapping loose litter. We found it to be excellent at trapping loose litter, helping reduce the horror and shame of stepping barefoot on cat litter, a feeling all cat owners know and dread.

In our testing we found these, especially the large, to be an excellent size for most litter box setups. The soft textured mat will be gentle on your cats’ claws and will help pull litter our that has gotten stuck in their paw pads, leading to less mess around your home.

Our reviewer found for the most part you could shake the mat out to easily clean it, although wet messes can provide a little more challenge. This is the case with almost all cat litter mats as they’re primarily designed to deal with litter, not wet messes.

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Best Runner-Up

CatGuru Litter Mat

$33 at Amazon $23 at Chewy View on Cat-guru.com

The CatGuru Litter Mat features a microfiber design similar to what you see on some types of shower mat. One advantage is this design is about as soft on paws as you can get. The microfibre nubs pull litter from your cat’s paws. However, it is a little tricky to get the litter out, and can require some aggressive shaking. That said, when it comes to a full cleaning, the CatGuru is machine washable.

Like our top pick, we found it to be very effective at capturing loose litter. It also comes in multiple size options ranging all the way up to 48 by 35 inches, which should be large enough for almost any litter set up. We would love for it to come in more color options however, as the available colors are what we often see in litter mats across most companies for whatever reason.

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Best for Multiple Cats or Large Spaces

Cosyearn XL Cat Litter Mat

$25 at Amazon

Large enough to accommodate multiple litter boxes, the Cosyearn Cat Litter Mat XL is perfect for a multiple cat household. Measuring 47 by 36 inches, the Cosyearn provides a lot of runway for cats coming out of a litter box, capturing more of the litter particles that get stuck in their paws.

The Cosyearn Litter Mat XL has a coarse woven pile, like a scrub brush or door mat, but is made from PVC vinyl, so it won't absorb stains or smells. Instead, it can be easily cleaned in a sink or with a hose. A vacuum should be able to handle most everyday litter spillover. It's less useful at soaking up anything too messy: While technically waterproof, the XL litter mat doesn't have any place to retain water, so liquid will run off on to your floor, or even pool beneath the mat.

This litter mat has a spongy, semi-carpet feel, so your cat might hang out on it even when they're not using the bathroom. The Cosyearn XL is available in black, brown, or gray color options.

_{Shapes: Rectangle | Colors: Brown, black, gray}

Best Discreet

Amazon Basics Less-Mess Cat Litter Box Mat

$13 at Amazon

There’s something to be said about the aesthetics of the Amazon Basics Less-Mess Cat Litter Box Mat. From afar it looks like a doormat or rug but up close you can see the coiled fibers that help collect the litter. We found that the brown is a nice deep hue and is rarely an option in the space where most mats tend to be black, gray, or tan. The Brown especially will help the mat blend into home decor and not stand out as a cat product as clearly.

In testing we found it wasn’t quite as effective at catching litter as our top choice, but still did a solid job. Similarly it can be shaken out to remove most of the litter. If you’re looking for a lot of customizability it may not be the best choice as it only comes in one size and two colors.

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Best for Grip

Gorilla Grip Cat Litter Trapping Mat

$20 at Amazon

$30

$18 at Walmart

The Gorilla Grip Mat uses a carpet-like synthetic pile to capture litter from your cat's feet. This gives it an aesthetic that's less like a rubbery mat and more like a rug. Our tester even found that it is comfortable for them to step on in bare feet. But the real draw is its wide range of color choices. While most of our other recommendations come in staid browns and grays, the Gorilla Grip litter mat is available in 13 different colors, including turquoise, forest green, pink, and navy blue.

We also found that it did a great job at not retaining any odors. Though it lacks the innovative dual layer, honeycomb design of our top pick it compensates with exceptional litter grabbing ability. It’s also available in more sizes, shapes, and colors than almost any other option out there. While we found it to be difficult to vacuum, it was very easy to shake out or wipe down to clean. If you live in an apartment we understanding shaking out isn’t always as easy as it is in a standalone home.

_{Shapes: Rectangle, Half-circle, quarter-circle | Colors: Beige, brown, black, green, blue, gray, purple, pink}

Best Designs

Drymate Original Cat Litter Mat

$20 at Amazon $20 at Chewy View on Drymate.com

The material of the Drymate Original Cat Litter Mat is a cross between a door mat and a waterproof baby mat. It has a rubber lining underneath, which helps keep it from slipping around on the floor and also gives it a little more cushion for your cat to walk on. The rubber lining also helps to make the mat waterproof. The rubber bottom, while aiding in resisting slipping, can be annoying if you keep the mat under the litter box as it makes it more difficult to slide it out to clean. The design of the mat is nice enough that it looks pleasant around the little box, much nicer than just a plain rubber mat or rug.

The mat is machine washable and given its waterproof nature, we ran it through a few cycles in the washing machine and it emerged with no tearing or damage. It will however need to be air. Another great factor of this mat is that there are many styles and design options. We’re not talking just different colors either, you’ll find designs that feature flowers, paw prints, and more.

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Best for Sensitive Paws

iPrimio Large Cat Litter Trapper Mat

$40 at Amazon $109 at Target View on Walmart

The iPrimio Cat Litter Mat utilizes an innovative double-layer honeycomb design, so litter falls through the top layer, to be stored in the bottom layer. The two layers can be flexed apart like an envelope, so you can simply pick up the mat and funnel the collected litter into the trash or back into your litter box.

The iPrimio is made of EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) foam, which is the same material often used in flip-flops and foam clogs. It doesn't contain any phthalates—plasticizing chemicals that may interfere with hormone production in humans and animals—so it's non-toxic too. Plus it has a rubber-like squishiness that's both durable and soft on your cat's paws. Even if your cat enjoys scratching the EVA mat, the IPrimio will be able to stand up to years of abuse.

The typical downside of honeycomb litter mats is that wet messes can gunk up the holes separating the top and bottom layer. The bottom of the mat is waterproof, so messes won’t leak through to your flooring (and can be contained by inserting a puppy pad or other absorbent mat in between the two layers), but you might need to rinse off the mat in a bathtub or shower if it gets too soiled.

The IPrimio litter mat is available in three sizes and two colors, including an extra-large 32 by 30 inch design.

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