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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 Vivaglory Microfiber mat is available in multiple colors and sizes, and was popular with the cat testers. Read More

The Gorilla Grip comes in a variety of colors and sizes, and did well during our real-world testing. Read More

The iPrimo mat uses honeycomb holes to contain litter then opens like a book to easily shake out material. Read More

No matter how much you love your cat, you probably don’t love stepping in litter that’s been kicked out of the box and scattered all over the floor. Even the staunchest cat lover likely still employs a litter box mat to help contain the bits that escape from the box whenever kitty exits. And while there is no litter mat in existence that will collect every grain, there are some that are much, much better at the job than others.

The main goal of a litter mat is to get your cat to walk across it after exiting the box; the material used for a mat is often designed to get your cats to spread their toes or wipe their feet to release errant granules of cat litter. We spent weeks testing litter mats and letting our cats weigh in on what they wiped their paws on.

Overall, we found that the best litter mat was the PetFusion ToughGrip (available at Amazon for $32.41) because it aced our waterproof tests, was remarkably easy to clean, and collected a large amount of litter. But if you’re just looking for a good mat to get the job done, or best value pick is the Fresh Kitty Jumbo Foam mat (available at Chewy) which is also effective at catching litter, machine washable and comes in attractive patterns.

When looking for a new litter mat, keep in mind that some cats are willing to walk across any mat you place in front of them, while others may jump entirely over a mat they don’t approve of. The perfect litter mat is one that is a good size for the litter box, easy to clean, that catches the maximum amount of litter and, most importantly, one that your cat will actually use.

Here are the best cat litter mats we tested, ranked in order:

Of all the mats we tested, the PetFusion ToughGrip was the easiest to clean.

Silicone is ideal for use in litter mats because it’s anti-microbial, non-slip and very easy to clean or wipe down. The PetFusion ToughGrip is gray FDA-grade silicone with a raised wave pattern and an outer lip; the pattern should be placed in a portrait orientation (left to right) to the box to trap litter and encourage feet wiping, while the outer lip keeps litter contained within the mat.

The ToughGrip did well on our kick/skid testing where it largely stayed in place on both hardwood and carpet. It was comfortable to walk on with my bare feet, and it met with approval from both our cat testers who mainly ignored it. However, where the ToughGrip really shines is clean up – at 5.3 pounds, the extra-large was a tad heavy to pick up and shake out but the method does get rid of all the litter easily. It was also a piece of cake to vacuum and to wipe down and wash in our gunky mess and waterproof tests. Following the grooves with a handheld car vacuum helped to collect almost all the litter on a single pass, while the mat held all the liquid in the waterproof test for well over an hour without leaking or spilling.

Aesthetically it’s a little utilitarian, and we noticed in our real use testing it’s prone to picking up bits of dust and debris from the floor, but it does exactly what it’s there to do with a minimum amount of hassle or fuss. It’s also a bit higher in price for a litter mat, but for the ease of maintenance alone, it is well worth it particularly if you have an older cat or one with health issues who regularly eliminates outside of the box. It comes in two sizes; a 30" x 23" large, and a 38" x 26" extra-large, which is what we tested.

Catches and holds a lot of litter

Attracts household debris and dust

The Fresh Kitty Jumbo Foam Cat Litter Mat was effective at collecting litter and looked good on the floor.

The Fresh Kitty Jumbo Foam mat impressed us with how much litter it collected, how easy it was to clean and its low price. Made from a memory foam style material, it felt soft and pliant when walked on, collected a surprising amount of litter in its pattern of grooves and was easier to clean than expected.

The mat itself stayed waterproof during testing, though the ribbed surface did channel liquid off the mat, and it took very little wiping and rinsing to clean it in our gunky mess tests. It’s also machine washable, though it needs to be air dried. At 40" x 24" x 2.75" inches it was big enough to fit all three boxes in our real use tests and the black and grey pattern was attractive on the floor.

Catches a lot of litter

Comes with creases that need to be worked out

Creature was happy to help us test litter mats.

I’m Amber Bouman, and I have over four decades of cat ownership under my belt. I’ve also volunteered at animal shelters and done some casual pet sitting. In addition to at least one cat, and sometimes as many as four, my household has also included a wide variety of critters from quarter-size tortoise hatchlings to full-sized horses. In the last few years, we’ve sadly lost a few older cats, two of whom were 16 years old and one of whom was 22, so I also have experience in caring for, and cleaning up after, older cats and cats with illnesses.

In my professional life, I have over 15 years experience reviewing everything from Windows phones and gaming monitors to leather backpacks and smart breast pumps. I’ve also hated (almost) every litter mat I’ve ever owned. Our feline testers here are Mojo Scamps, a Burmese who wandered out of the woods looking for food and found herself adopted to our household, and Creature, a Burmese/Mainecoon mix who was rescued in Brooklyn as a feral kitten. They’re both young, healthy and will use any box or litter we put in the home for them without complaint. We typically use clumping clay litter but don’t adhere to any particular brand or type.

In order to test litter box mats, we first examined them for creases, textures, softness, flexibility, feel of materials and any off-gassing. We noted any included instructions on cleaning, care or positioning of the mat. We walked on them barefoot to measure comfort, and kicked at them to see how much they moved or shifted on either carpet or hardwood flooring.

Next, to mimic a cat’s kicks in the box, we scattered a half of a cup of litter across the mats, then shook them out over a container and remeasured the amount to see roughly how much the mat had collected. We vacuumed them, and ‘soiled’ them with a gunky material, then washed them according to care instructions to see how easy it was to effectively clean them.

We also ‘soiled’ the mats with a ¼ cup mixture of vanilla extract and water to note how waterproof they were, how liquid was contained on the mat and checked if it held any odor after getting dried. Lastly, we scratched at the mats to note any damage and used them underneath the litter boxes for two cats for at least 24 hours. Throughout the unboxing and testing, we noted how the two cat testers reacted to the mats.

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 pick is difficult. Some cats will avoid certain textures or materials without any reason, while others seem amenable to almost anything. A cat’s preferences towards a mat can change for health reasons, or be a result of changes in their environment. When shopping for a litter box mat, consider the size of the mat, the materials and how easy it will be to clean.

Litter mats should be large enough to guarantee your cat will walk across it after exiting the box; for front access, that’s going to be directly in front of the opening, while open top boxes will get placed in the middle of a mat. Some mats are available in a variety of sizes or shapes, such as a half-circle for boxes in corners.

Most materials we tested did at least a decent job of containing litter in testing, so much of this will come down to your—and your cat’s—preference. Mats are often made from PVC, plastic, silicone or rubber but there are also mats made of microfiber, sisal, jute, or polyester. The materials themselves determine the method by which the mat collects litter; many of the mats made from PVC feature thousands of tiny loop enclosures to trap litter granules, while silicone and rubber mats often have a pattern of cups or ridges to contain litter and plastic mats have tapered holes to collect scattered material.

One of the most important factors to consider is cleaning: if your cat only kicks up a bit of litter you might be able to simply shake out the mat but if you have an older cat or a cat with health issues you may want something that rinses and dries quickly. Microfiber mats can often be washed in a machine, but often need to air dry, while other materials can usually be washed with soap and water or hosed down.

Microfiber litter mats offer a solution that closely resembles a standard bath mat: they’re soft, textured and have a waterproof backing. The 3D microfiber nubs in the Vivaglory mat are a bit smaller than the ones on the CatGuru; the Vivaglory mat is also available in multiple colors: grey, blue, brown and beige; and two sizes, a 31” x 20” large and a 35” x 25” extra large. It was popular with our cat testers, who liked stepping and sleeping on it, and managed to collect an impressive amount of litter. It performed well during waterproof testing and the anti-slip backing was mostly effective in our kick tests. While it was easy and effective to shake litter out of the mat to clean it, putting it in the washing machine required setting aside plenty of time for it to dry.

Takes a very long time to air dry

Not great for gunky messes

Among loop enclosure-style mats, the Gorilla Grip is extremely popular and it’s easy to see why – the mat, which uses a mesh pattern of thick coils to trap litter, is available in eighteen colors and seven sizes from a 24” x 17” small to a 47” x 35” jumbo capable of fitting two litter boxes. The diamond pattern of coiled mesh loops and the grooves dividing them are capable of trapping a lot of litter, and the material encourages cats to wipe their feet. However, our feline testers did not like the mat much and either bit and kicked at it or jumped over it entirely.

While it did well in the real use tests, where it caught litter well, the jumbo mat is unwieldly to shake out and never seemed to come entirely clean; despite shaking for several minutes, litter was still being released. Loop enclosure mats are often difficult to get entirely clean as grains of litter are held tightly by the coil. The Gorilla Grip mat also performed poorly during the waterproof tests where the liquid seeped through breaks in the bottom layer, and took some time to air dry.

Available in many sizes and colors

Not good for gunky messes

Backing material is subject to tears

Cat testers did not like

A ‘black hole’ style mat, the iPrimio is a double layer mat which features a top layer molded into a honeycomb design of hourglass holes, and a waterproof bottom layer. The holes catch litter and funnels it between the two layers; to clean the mat you simply must separate the layers and shake free. It has more space between its plastic honeycomb holes than the Pieviev, and it opens on three sides like a book for cleaning. It did well at collecting litter, but we lost more in transit because of the open sides. The ability to pull back the entire top layer made it easier to clean liquids from, but also made it easier for liquids to spread on the mat, and gunky messes are still going to require some scrubbing. iPrimio makes this style mat in multiple sizes and in black or brown.

Easy to clean litter and liquids

Not great for gunky messes

The CatGuru has very large 3D microfiber nubs and was so cushy and comfortable that our kitty testers often laid down and napped on it. It also collected and contained a lot of litter during testing, and looked unobtrusive and pleasant on the floor. It didn’t skid when kicked, and it can be shaken out or machine-washed to clean – but either method proved difficult. Offered in a single size, 36” x 28” x 1”, and weighing 3.3 pounds the CatGuru requires a vigorous shaking to release litter and was not easy to vacuum with a small handheld car vac. It is also very heavy when coming out of the washer wet, and took a rather long time to air dry.

Takes a long time to air dry

The Pieviev Trapping Mat is another 'black hole' mat with a top layer of Eva foam molded into a honeycomb design of 10mm hourglass holes, and a waterproof bottom layer. The patterned foam material was fairly comfortable in bare feet, but did slide a good amount in the kick tests. The mat was able to collect and contain a lot of litter, and it contained liquids well, but it could get awkward trying to dump the contents without spilling. It also took a good amount of scrubbing to rid the honeycomb holes of gunkier messes. The Pieviev is available in two sizes, 30” x 24” or 24” x 15” and three colors, black, grey or brown.

Can absorb a lot of litter

Not great for gunky messes

Tends to curl up at the sides

Another loop enclosure style mat, the Pawkin was unexpectedly soft to the touch. The pattern of loops and channels did well collecting litter during testing but just like the Gorilla Grip, was difficult to shake entirely clean and a pain to vacuum thoroughly.

The grooves helped channel and contain liquid during the scent test, but during the gunky mess testing we accidentally tore a fingertip sized hole in the mat as we tried to work our gunky material out of the loops.

It’s also prone to creasing and is difficult to air dry. The Pawkin mat is available in one 35” x 23” x 0.9” extra large size, and only comes in gray.

Impressively comfortable for loop enclosure

Combining a few of the methods of other mats in this guide, the Purr-Fect Paws mat is made from rubber making it easy to rinse and uses tiny recessed cups to collect litter. This is unexpectedly effective, but moving the mat to shake it off was awkward as its flexibility made it easy to spill litter.

It did quite well during waterproof testing where it held liquids without seeping or spilling, but was a hassle to clean gunky messes out of–we found a bit of material stuck inside a cup the day after cleaning.

It’s not unpleasant to the touch, but is fairly industrial in appearance. The Purr-Fect Paws mat comes in blue, tan, or grey, and medium, large, or extra large sizes.

Hard to clean gunky messes

Flexible rubber is awkward to move and clean

Sisal is a natural plant fiber that’s often used on cat trees for its stiff texture, that makes the Frisco Sisal mat ideal for cats who like to scratch upon exiting a litter box. Because it’s a renewable and sustainable material it’s also considered more environmentally friendly.

As a litter mat, it faired alright; the sisal material doesn’t grab or contain litter the same way a mat with loops or holes can so the majority of the scattered litter sat on the surface of the mat which made it easy to scatter off the mat and on to the floor.

It is easy to shake off, but difficult to vacuum, and wasn’t tough to rinse clean.

Our cat testers enjoyed scratching at it, but the available sizes—a 24” x 15” medium or 15” x 12” small—were too small to be very effective. Additionally, it is not at all waterproof as liquids soaked through immediately.

Doesn’t contain litter well

Amber Bouman is Editor of Product Roundups at Reviewed. She has formerly written for Engadget, PC World, Maximum PC, the Wirecutter and Broke Ass Stuart.

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