Last Updated: 06/05/2025
Reduce Litter Tracking
Sick of litter tracking from your cat? Find solutions to prevent the mess and reduce litter tracking for a cleaner home.
Author: Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 10 minutes - short read
Last Updated: 06/05/2025
Sick of litter tracking from your cat? Find solutions to prevent the mess and reduce litter tracking for a cleaner home.
Author: Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 10 minutes - short read
When Teagan's not busy sharing her knowledge of all things pets as Pet Circle's resident vet, she is the human companion of two intense English staffies and a three-legged cat named Steve.
Finding kitty litter all over the house? When your cat uses the litterbox bits of litter can get flung out as she digs or just stick to her feet to be tracked far and wide through the house. Here's a few tips to try and reduce litter tracking to keep you, your vacuum cleaner and your cat happy.
Litter tracking is a term used to describe the problem of cats scattering and tracking their litter outside of the designated litter box area. This issue can arise due to several factors, such as the texture and type of litter, the size and placement of the litter box, and the behavior of the cat itself
If your cat uses a light sawdust or corn based litter, consider switching to a heavier litter with larger particles like Catsan Crystals to reduce tracking. When changing your cat to a new litter type, be sure to do so gradually. Some cats will have a strong preference for one litter type over another and changing suddenly could cause them to eliminate outside of the litterbox or tray instead.
To minimise the amount of scatter while your cat is scratching about, try using a litterbox with higher sides or a covered top like the Petmate Rimmed Litter Pan or Booda Cleanstep Cat Box. Less litter getting kicked out of the tray onto the floor means less litter getting tracked through the house!
Regardless of the litterbox you use, there is likely to be a little scatter, so to prevent tracking get a dustpan and broom and sweep up daily. Spending a minute or two doing this every day will prevent the litter getting spread far and wide through the house.
The Oz Pet Cat Litter Scoop and the Beco Bamboo Litter Scoop are both popular options.
Place a small mat, like the Booda No Track Litter Mat, fluffy towel or shaggy bathmat at the entrance to the litterbox to help catch any pesky pieces of litter stuck to your cat's paws as she exits.
For long haired cats, trim the hair between the toes regularly as this can cause them to track more litter. Very carefully use a pair of grooming scissors to trim the hair back level with the foot pads. For more grooming tips check out our guide to Grooming Your Cat.
While nothing is likely to completely stop litter from occasionally getting outside of the litterbox, these tips should help stop it from being a fixture of every room in the house. That means less vacuuming for you!
