Hi everyone,
Since our two kitties are both indoors only, the issue of litter trays has always been at the forefront. We’ve tried different types of trays, litter and of course mats to trap litter track.
Oli and Nubes both seem to like jumping out of the litter tray which usually means a wave of litter following behind them. This would more than often be taken into other rooms and sometimes to our bed. At first we just accepted this and just swept up the spill whenever we saw it.
We’ve tried a number of different mats over the past year but none really did the job so when we saw the BlackHole Litter Mat we weren’t that convinced it would be any better. It has a dual layer construction with a honeycomb top layer made of EVA (the same stuff in trainer soles) and a soft layer underneath.
The mat comes in a number of shapes and sizes including a cool cat head shaped one. We tried the rectangular 30” by 23” Dark Grey version. We placed it in front of our kitties’ litter box and waited to see what happened.
The first thing we noticed was that the cats were quite happy to actually walk on the mat. A previous mat we used was so nobly that the kitties would avoid the mat by jumping right out of the box and over it which would usually mean a bigger slew of litter following behind. This was definitely a good start. When Oli finished in the box, he walked out and over the full length of the mat without a pause. Obviously, this mat felt less bumpy under his paws. The good thing about the large size of this mat is that it means that the cats need a couple of strides to clear it meaning more chances for any litter clinging to paws to be trapped. When it came to Nubia’s turn she was just as happy to walk on the mat but still jumped a little of the mat [perhaps out of habit] leaving some litter on the side. If we had more space, we’d probably put another mat on the side.
So, the mat proved to be a hit with the kitties in terms of comfort and did the job of catching the litter when walked over. What about dealing with the trapped litter? Cleaning our previous mats has often involved shaking the mat and then sweeping it up. With one, we often had to poke out pieces caught in nodules. Not so with the BlackHole mat. Because of the dual-structure, just picking it up and parting the layers is enough for any trapped litter to come tumbling out. We’ve found that we don’t really need to move the mat and can use the vacuum cleaner’s hose to clear up pretty quickly. Though we’ve not had to clean the mat so far, it looks like a simple matter of wiping the top layer.
Of all the mats we’ve tried, the Black Hole mat does exactly what it’s meant to. In terms of pricing, it is more expensive than our previous mats but then you get what you pay for, a mat that actually works.
The large version can be purchased through Amazon UK for £34.99 by clicking here or for $42.99 on Amazon US by clicking here.
Looking for other alternative cat litter mats check out this review for top cat litter mats.
Thanks,
Katzenworld
Oh thanks! I actually bought one on Monday in our pets shop. It was the first time I saw such things and thought it would be nice.
Muppet stays in when I’m at work so there’s a cat litter at home and I can tell when she’s been there or not. Unfortunately the rug I bought is rather small and doesn’t fully do the job. I’m not sure either that she likes walking on it. The price: 13 euros. But I reckon that yours is much better.
I’ll have a look at Amazon or may be at Petsathome, shop that I always like 😉
We have tried many many mats. This is the only one the cats accepted!!! Lol
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m going to give it a try. I’m tired of litter in my bed! 🙂
We haven’t had major litter spill since getting those. 🙂
Nice review and it does look like a good mat. The one we have is hard and bumpy but they still use it and we have little cheap space rugs that pick up some. Worlds Best Cat Litter Is the litter we use and it’s the best I’ve found in 16 yrs of having our girls. Took a long time! It’s much more expensive but it’s ECO friendly and I use it for mulch instead of throwing it in the land fill.
We have no garden or we would do the same with our worlds best litter :o. And yes his mat is awesome! ^^
My cats prefer to keep the litter on their feet until they are on my bed!
Oh dear xD
What an ingenious design!
Is the litter tray underneath a chair?
We love these mats! And the litter tray is under a small storage table in the kitchen 🙂
These seem like great mats! It can be a real pain to clean many litter mats. This one seems really easy!
It is :D. Pick up and empty. Put back. 🙂
That does look better than the other ones we have tried.
It’s the best of all the ones we used. 🙂
That looks good actually, the last one we had appeared to appeal the So u Singh’s taste buds because he started gnawing on it, then the next thing, shredding it! I gave up them but finding lil bits of litter around the house is soooo frustrating!
Indeed! It took us a year to find a good one (this one) and we don’t regret the purchase at all! Apart from the occasional one bit of litter all gets stuck in the mat 🙂
Very cool product! Thanks for liking my “Smelly Cat” post and for the follow. I was a little worried that some cat owners might take offense to it. 🙂
Haha I’m sure we have all had similar situations lol. And thanks for popping over ^^ if you fancy guest posting always welcome. 🙂
Great post, dude!?
Thank you :). Have you taken the humans credit card yet :o?
Working on it- I think she suspects something…. She keeps hiding it!?
XD
?
Decorative and does the job. Value! 😀
Hehe indeed 🙂
Great review! I’ve always had the problem of the litter on the paws being a little wet when the kitties jump out of the box, which then turns into a paste on the litter mat. It seems like more work to have a mat than to just clean the floor, so I’d kind of given up on mats. Maybe I’ll try this one. We got a kitty food tower after one of your reviews and it works great, one cat has lost about 1 lb through slower eating, so thanks very much!
Oh wow! Glad to hear the food tower helped you that much. :). And yes these mats are great – no longer have we got litter all over the house haha. There is of course an occasional little bit of litter but in general it’s all but gone now.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention! I hate seeing tiny bits of litter in my hallway!! X
Welcome 🙂
Pingback: Paillasson pour Muppet | Frenchie4myself
Merci! 🙂