How to Stop Your Cat Tearing the Litter Tray Liner

A liner that has been shredded is worse than no liner at all. Litter and moisture work their way into the gap between the liner and the tray, and now you are cleaning two surfaces instead of one. If your cat is doing this, it is almost always fixable.

1. Put more litter down, not less

The most common cause, and the least intuitive fix. A cat digs to bury, and will keep digging until they hit something that stops them. If the litter is only two or three centimetres deep, their claws reach the liner on the first pass.

Aim for 5 to 7cm of litter. It costs a little more per change but it puts a cushion between claws and liner, and most cats stop hitting the plastic entirely.

2. Check the liner is thick enough

Liner thickness is measured in mils. Supermarket liners are often around 1 mil, which is roughly a carrier bag. A determined burier will find the weak point within a day. Ours are 2 mil, which is a meaningful difference in tear resistance rather than a marketing one.

3. Make sure the liner actually fits the tray

A liner stretched taut over a tray that is too big for it is under tension before your cat touches it, and will split at the corners. This is very common with jumbo and high-sided trays, because most liners on sale are cut for standard ones.

You want enough excess material to gather at the top for the drawstring, with slack left inside. Ours fit trays up to 60 x 48cm, which covers most large, jumbo and covered units.

4. Tuck the excess under the rim

Don't leave loose plastic hanging inside the tray. A flap of liner sitting above the litter line is an invitation — cats will hook it, chew it and drag it. Pull the liner taut over the tray edge and fold the excess underneath the rim, or clip it if your tray has a retaining rim.

5. Consider whether the tray is too small

A cat that can't turn comfortably will dig harder and more erratically. The general guidance is a tray around one and a half times the length of your cat, nose to base of tail. Cats in undersized trays scrape at the sides rather than digging down, which is exactly the motion that tears a liner at the corner.

What if none of this works?

Some cats are simply committed diggers and no liner will survive them. Two options: double-line the tray, so the inner liner takes the damage and the outer one still contains everything; or accept the tray needs washing and use liners only for full litter changes rather than daily.

It is also worth ruling out the alternative explanation. A cat that has suddenly started scrabbling, digging excessively or toileting outside the tray may have a urinary problem or be reacting to stress, and that is a vet conversation rather than a liner one.

Getting the most from a liner

• Deep litter — 5 to 7cm
• 2 mil or thicker
• Correctly sized for the tray, with slack inside
• Excess tucked under the rim, not hanging loose
• A tray large enough for your cat to turn in

See our XL cat litter tray liners — 2 mil, heavy-duty drawstring, individually packed.