How to Stop Cat Litter Tracking

Cat litter tracking is the single most frustrating thing about being a cat parent. Especially for someone that likes to keep their home clean.

I am a fellow cat owner and over the years after trying all kinds of cat litter, I was able to finally find a solution to eliminate cat litter tracking for good. So today I am going to share tips on how to stop cat litter tracking, and the solution I use in my home.

1. Choosing the Right Cat Litter

The best thing you can do to stop cat litter tracking is choosing the right cat litter.
When choosing a low tracking cat litter, you should look for cat litter that is heavier and larger in size. Pellets that are heavier and larger tend to not stick to your cat’s paws as opposed to cat litter that are more sand-like.

Pine and tofu cat litter are larger so they barely track at all. Of all the cat litter I have tried I have found pine and tofu cat litter the best at reducing litter tracking around the house. Between Tofu and pine, tofu is easier to clean because it is a clumping litter. It also has better odor control as cats cover up their poop with it. Pine just disintegrates into saw dust so its much harder to clean, and its too heavy for cats to cover dig and cover up their poop. 

2. Choosing the Right Litter Box

The second thing you can do to stop cat litter tracking is choosing the right litter box. A large litter box with high walls can help limit litter from flying out when the cat jumps out of the litter box. Moreover, a larger litter box will also be more comfortable for your cat when it goes to the bathroom, and give it room for your cat to dig and cover their poop. Some cats can be messy diggers and high walls help to keep the litter in.

Litter Box with High Walls

Another type of litter box is the top entry litter box. It is even better at making sure cat litter does not fly out when the cat jumps out of the litter box. Cats must enter and leave through the top of the litter box. As they jump out of the litter box, most of the cat litter stays in the litter box. While the holes on top of the litter box keep any stray litter from coming out. This litter box may not be the right choice for older cats as they may have trouble jumping out of the litter box. A top entry litter box with tofu cat litter results in almost no tracking.

 

In addition, I like this litter box in particular because it has a removable liner that makes cleaning easier. You can remove the bag made out of tarp and just wash it.

Holes to Keep the Litter from Leaving the Litter Box

3. Litter Mat

The third thing you can do to reduce cat litter tracking is getting a litter mat.
Litter mats trap cat litter from your cat’s paws as they exit the litter box before they can track them around the house.

You want to choose a mat with ridges or a honeycomb design to catch more litter.
In terms of texture, you want one that is easy to clean, skid-resistant, and ones comfortable for your cat. Vacuum the litter mat often so litter doesn’t build up.
I personally don’t use a litter mat because the top entry litter box in conjunction with tofu cat litter is so effective at reducing cat litter tracking. A litter mat would be a good investment if you have a regular litter box.

4. Litter Box Placement

The last thing you can do to control litter tracking is litter box placement.
In your home you can put the litter box in a less trafficked area or in a separate room, away from the main living area so you can reduce tracking in the places you see the most. Consider setting up your litter box in an uncarpeted area if you have one. Litter sticks to carpet much more tightly than it does to hard floors.

Final Tip

Even if you follow every recommendation, a bit of litter tracking can still happen. You'll still have to regularly clean the litter box and the surrounding area. So keep a vacuum nearby. One thing that has made cleaning easier for me is a robot vacuum. It has been a game changer. I set the robot vacuum to clean once per day and as a result my floors in my apartment are spotless. It’s also good at keeping the floors clean of cat hair. I used to spend about 30 minutes every day vacuuming my living space. Now I get that time back.

Implementing the majority of the tips will reduce cat litter tracking tremendously with choosing the right cat litter being the most important. After using tofu cat litter for over three years it truly has been the solution to cat litter tracking in my home.
While also being low dust, easy to clean, and safe for my cats to accidentally eat.

See this video to visually see how each cat litter performs in regards to tracking: