What Are Cat Litter Mats Made Of? (3 Proven Types…)
If you have ever cleaned up the mess from excess litter spilling out of the box, you will know why people look for litter mats. But what are they made of? Let me explain…
What are cat litter mats made of?
Cat litter mats are typically made of a few different materials. This includes silicone, PVC, or rubber. Each of these materials is effective because they are waterproof and easy to wipe down after your cat has soiled the surface.
So, now you know. But, are these mats worth having? Do they help to stop your cat tracking litter? what should you be looking for in an ideal litter mat? What should you avoid? Keep reading for these answers, and much more…
My Best Cat Litter Mats
| Description | Image | My Rating |
| 01. Smiling Paws Premium Cat Litter Mat Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad |   |  |
| 02. Pieviev Cat Litter Mat Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad |   |  |
| 03. iPrimio Cat Litter Trapper Mat Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad |   |  |
3 Main Cat Litter Mat Types
As discussed earlier there are three main types of cat litter mat types:
- Silicone
- PVC
- Rubber
Silicone is quite popular these days, closely followed by PVC. The assumption is that most of them are rubber, but that is not the case.
Are cat litter mats worth having?
A cat litter mat is worth having especially when compared to having a litter box directly on your floor, or even worse, your carpet. It can avoid some stains and mess that would be unpleasant to clean off other materials.
However, none of them are perfect, to be honest. You still need to clean up but, it just makes this task easier than normal.
Do cat litter mats work?
Cat litter mats do work. They will help you to avoid messy spillage on your flooring or carpet. Some cat owners would never consider having litter without it.
How do litter mats work?
Litter mats are simply laid down first, followed by the cat litter box. This mat will help to protect your flooring from the soiled mess from the cat litter.
If you have cleaned up a cat litter box before I am sure you will agree how messy they can be without a mat underneath it.
How do you keep cats from tracking litter?
Using a litter mat is the perfect way to stop cats from tracking litter around your home. It will be a big improvement when compared to just having the litter box on its own.
Without the liter mat, your cat will simply step in the soiled litter, pick up the loose litter and then trail it around your home.
What is the point of a cat Litter Mat?
Cat Litter mats are ideal for mopping up spillages that a cat litter box on its own, simply can’t do. Think of the urine that never seems to hit the target, right?
Then there is the hygiene benefits. If you have cat litter mess or urine around your house, outside of the litter box, it is really not hygienic.
The cat litter mat deals with both of these unwanted issues. Keeps litter and urine off of your flooring or tiles and keeps your house more hygienic.
What things should you be looking out for?
Ideally, you need a litter mat that will keep the mess contained, but reduces the odor and does not get soggy and unsightly. Effectively you want your house to be cleaner with this mat, or there is no point.
Controlling Odors
You need a mat that does not absorb the mess, such as microfibre based material. Rubber based materials or EVA are good. And they also control odor quite well.
Simple to Maintain
You want a mat that is easy to clean and maintain. Models that have holes or grooves to control the litter storage work well. Allowing you the chance to place the litter back in the box or disgard of the mess.
If it is not water resistance though, be careful. If this is the case you need to at least make sure that you can wash it easily using a dishwasher for example.
There are also some types that have raised guards. These are good because they keep the litter in if it spills from the box.
Durability
Don’t waste your time with cheap mats with flimsy material. It will be more hassle than the money you think you are saving.
The problem with these mats is, they do not stay in place. So, after your cat has soiled the mat, it can get kicked all over your beloved floor. Effectively making the whole thing worthless, are you with me?
For your info, you tend to find that the PVC based mats are likely to one of the most sturdy ones.
Comfort
One thing that you need to consider is your cat’s comfortability. This boils down to the actual way the material feels under your kitties paws.
Materials have their pros and cons, so you need to decide what important to you. For example, Microfibre will be softer on your cat’s paws, but it won’t be the best for maintenance, as discussed earlier.
Same as other materials like EVA or silicone. They may be “cat-friendly”, but they are not as durable as say PVC, are you with me?
The Size of the Mat
Yes, size matters! Well, when we are talking about cat litter mats, anyway 😉
Well, the rule of thumb here is, the bigger the better. It is not worth having it just big enough to cover the size of the litter box itself if that makes sense.
Reason being, the debris, and urine will still spill over, meaning its a waste of time. So, make sure it is big enough to easily covering the surface areas.
Also, make sure it’s big enough that your cat does not simply hop over the mat and then trail mess and urine onto your flooring.
Best Cat Litter Mats for Urine
In this section I will share with you three of my best cat litter mats specifically for dealing with cat urine.
01. Smiling Paws Premium Cat Litter Mat
Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
Pros:
- Urine Proof.
- Soft material, great for your cat’s paws.
- Litter is trapped well.
- Great size
Cons:
- Hard to clean out the litter after trapping
- Not ideal for extra large litter boxes.
The thing I like about this is it’s urine-proof and nice and soft for your cat to step on. The size is pretty good, so you won’t have unwanted spillages in and around the litter box. It also controls the odor quite well.
This may not seem much to you, but I like the fact that I can still hoover this up because the material lends itself to that quite well.
The things I don’t like about the Smiling Paws Premium Cat Litter Mat…
Although it traps the litter well, it is difficult to get the litter out. You will need to spray some water and try and wrestle with it to get the litter out. Not a deal breaker, more of a minor nuance, in my opinion.
If you have a particularly bit litter box, then you may struggle with this. For most average sized boxes, this is absolutely fine though.
02. Pieviev Cat Litter Mat Litter Trapping
Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
Pros:
- Traps litter well.
- No tracking issues.
- Nice size.
- Urine Proof.
Cons:
- Comes folded, meaning it won’t lay flat initially.
- The urine chemicals smell is quite strong.
- Clearing out the collected litter can be messy.
The things I like about this is the fact that it manages the litter well. It has holes that hide the mess that falls from the litter box. To the outsider, it seems tidy at all times because of this.
It is urine proof, which addresses the main purpose of this mat. Also, any mess, such as excess litter that is stuck to your cat’s paws (“tracked”), stay on the mat!
This is great because it means that it keeps your flooring clean and tidy as you would expect.
The things I don’t love about the Pieviev Cat Litter Mat…
It comes shipped folded. I guess this makes practical sense, to be honest. However, to the consumer, not so good. Reason being, it means it will not sit flat for a while until the folds work their way out naturally, are you with me?
Honestly, this is a minor issue, but worth mentioning none the less. Also, while it is good at dealing with urine. The chemicals it uses smell quite strong, in my opinion. Lastly, the whole experience of getting rid of the collected litter is a bit messy.
03. iPrimio Large Cat Litter Trapper Mat
Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
Pros:
- Repels Urine Well.
- Cats will love stepping on this.
- Easy to clean,
- Honeycomb material collects mess well.
Cons:
- Borders make it difficult to pour litter back or discard.
- Collects smell of urine.
The things I like about this is it does its job well. It repels urine great and has this nice honeycomb material system to trap litter into it really well.
It is also very easy to clean and it helps to stop any issues with “Tracking”. Meaning if your cat walks out of the tray with a mess on her paws it prevents it trailing this unsightly mess all over the house, are you with me?
The things I am not too keen on with the iPrimio cat litter trapper mat…
The border around the mat can make it quite annoying when you need to either pour the litter back or disregard it. Although it handles urine ok it tends to hold onto the smell of urine, I am not sure if this is just me or not.
Also, it does not stick to the floor well. Meaning it has a tendency to slide around because of this. This is a shame because it’s quite a problem.
