How can I stop cats from clawing litter box liners?

“Cats will scratch in an effort to cover their elimination,” Reimers and Hall told The Spruce Pets. “We recommend using 2 - 3 inches of litter in the box. If you are using a liner, I would make sure I was at the 3-inch mark so the kitty can cover easily without scratching to the bottom. That said, some cats are super scratchers and unless you use nail caps, this may be unavoidable.”

The 6 Best Cat Litter Box Liners of 2023

Commerce Photo Composite — The Spruce Pets / Lecia Landis

A cat’s litter box liner is the first line of defense against an unhappy cat or a messy home. Made of durable material that can prevent tears and leakage that might ruin your day, these plastic bags and devices allow you to feel at ease and have less chaos in your home.

Our favorite litter box liners are Jonny Cat Liners, which offers a durable, easy-to-use, and simple-to-clean product. Available in scented or unscented options, just place the bag on any litter box and it should be able to hold whatever load you need to carry.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Jonny Cat Heavy Duty Litter Box Liners at Amazon

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Best Scented:

Fresh Step Drawstring Litter Box Liners at Amazon

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Best for Big Boxes:

Frisco Litter Box Pan Liners at Chewy

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Best Elastic:

Alfapet Kitty Cat Elastic Cat Pan Liners at Amazon

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Best Litter Liner Box:

Modkat Litter Box at Modkat.com

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Best Bulk Buy:

Fresh Kitty Litter Liner Boxes at Amazon

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In This Article

Our Picks
What To Look For
FAQ
Why Trust The Spruce

Amazon

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What We Like

Will fit most litter boxes
Tear-resistant
Good value
Easy to clean

What We Don’t Like

Only in white

When looking for a litter box liner, you want a bag that can hold large amounts of waste and can handle daily use by cats. Jonny Cat Heavy Duty Litter Box Liners earn our top spot by being the most durable and easily usable bags on the market, making them the best choice for anyone who needs a quality liner.

Available in five or fifteen-count boxes, each bag comes with a drawstring and enough room to hold a full to the large-size litter box. Applying the bag to your litter box is simple, just place the bag in the bin and fold the edges over the sides. When you want to clean up, just pull the drawstrings, unlatch the sides, and pull up from there.

The bags are also strong and durable, with two millimeter thick plastic that can hold up to weight or cat claws. Jonny Cat Liners also come in a scented option to hide unwanted smells.

Price at time of publish: $10

_{Dimensions : 36 x 18 inches | Colors: White | Sizes: 5 or 15-count boxes}

Amazon

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What We Like

2 millimeters thick for durability
Drawstring for easy closure
Scent isn’t overpowering

What We Don’t Like

Jumbo size still isn’t big enough for large litter boxes
Prone to tearing around drawstring
Only available in a 7-pack

Fresh Step Drawstring Litter Box Liners are available in two different sizes and scented or unscented versions. The drawstrings make it easy to both tighten a liner over the rim of a box, and easily toss it out when it’s time to replace. The scent itself is “Fresh,” like laundry, and not too aggressive at all.

The two-millimeter thick bags are durable enough, though we did find that they’re prone to tearing around the drawstring closure, requiring a little extra caution when tightening or closing a full liner. And while the two different sizes are useful, the Jumbo may still not be big enough for extra large litter boxes, making this a less useful pick for households where multiple cats share one big box.

Fresh Step Drawstring Litter Box Liners are available in packs of seven, though many online retailers let you buy multi-pack combos.

Price at time of publish: $3

_{Dimensions: 30 x 17 inches (large), 35.8 x 18.9 inches (jumbo) | Colors: Purple}

Chewy

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What We Like

Two-sided drawstrings
Large enough for big litter boxes

What We Don’t Like

Only available in an unscented version

At 39 by 21.5 inches, the Frisco Litter Box Pan Liners are big enough to fit most litter boxes. Featuring beefier dual drawstrings than our favorite scented pick, these Frisco liners are sold in five or 15-count boxes. Unfortunately, they are only available in an unscented version.

Price at time of publish: $3 (5-count)

_{Volume / Capacity: 39 x 21.5 inches | Colors: White | Sizes: 39 x 21.5}

Alfapet Kitty Cat Elastic Cat Pan Liners

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What We Like

Elastic is easy to put on
Wide range of sizes

What We Don’t Like

1.5 millimeter thickness version is thinner and less durable

Alfapet Kitty Cat Elastic Pan Liners are convenient to install because they have elastic around the full circumference of the liner, letting you snap it right onto the rim of your box. And while they’re available in multiple sizes, the elastic ensures that Alfapet liners will fit a wide range of litter boxes easily. Unfortunately, the smaller sizes are only 1.5-millimeters thick, which will make these more prone to cat claws than some of the other liners we recommend.

Price at time of publish: $13 (Large)

_{Volume / Capacity: 31 x 17 inches (Large), 37 x 18 (Extra-Giant), 42 x 20 (Super-Jumbo) | Colors: White}

Modkat

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What We Like

Liners made of durable tarpaulin
Sizes tailored to your Modkat box
Clips keep in place
Reusable

What We Don’t Like

Liners are proprietary and only available from Modkat

Having a litter box with its own line of liners makes figuring out what you’ll need a lot easier. Modkat boxes are available in multiple configurations, including the top-entry Modkat, the multi-configuration Modkat Flip, the open Modkat Litter Tray, and the Modkat XL. Each has its own proprietary litter box liner made from durable tarpaulin. These aren’t glorified plastic bags, like most liners. Instead, they affix to the inside of the litter box to stay in place and can be easily removed, dumped out, cleaned, and reused. Rather than replacing a liner every few weeks, you can keep using a Modkat Litter Liner Bag for three months. The liners come in five different sizes, designed for either top or side entry of the litter box.

Price at time of publish: $100 (Modkat Litter Box), $30 (3-pack of replacement liners)

_{Sizes: 16 x 16 x 15 (Modkat), 21 x 16.3 x 17 inches (Modkat XL) | Colors: White, Gray, Black}

Amazon

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What We Like

30 liners per roll
Comes with ties

What We Don’t Like

Won’t fit large boxes
Thin material

Cats can go through a lot of litter, so it’s important to always have a few bags on hand for when their boxes get messy. Fresh Kitty Litter Box Liners are available in 30-count and 80-count rolls, so you can buy liners less often without worrying about running out.

These are otherwise very basic bags, and don’t include a drawstring or elastic (they do come with ties, however). While the “Super Thick” version of this liner has 2-millimeter material, you’ll more likely see the standard version for sale, which is only 1.25-millimeters thick—if your cat scratches around in the box, you might want to look for a thicker liner.

Price at time of publish: $11 (30-count)

_{Dimensions: 18 x 20 x 7 inches (Jumbo) | Colors: Black}

Cleaning

Cats should have their litter scooped daily, with the whole box needing a thorough cleaning once a month. While litter liners don't replace the need for regular scooping, they do facilitate easier litter changes.

Litter Depth

If your cat is scratching the liner, co-founders of Cat Behavior Alliance Rita Reimers and Linda Hall recommend using at least two to three inches of cat litter in their box since “more will make your cat feel like they are sinking and less isn't enough to cover.”

FAQ

How can I stop cats from clawing litter box liners?

“Cats will scratch in an effort to cover their elimination,” Reimers and Hall told The Spruce Pets. “We recommend using 2 - 3 inches of litter in the box. If you are using a liner, I would make sure I was at the 3-inch mark so the kitty can cover easily without scratching to the bottom. That said, some cats are super scratchers and unless you use nail caps, this may be unavoidable.”

This article was written by Steven Asarch, a writer for The Spruce Pets. He has firsthand experience working with different feline products and taking care of two rambunctious felines.

To gain a better understanding of what cats are looking for, he spoke to Co-Founders of Cat Behavior Alliance Rita Reimers and Linda Hall. Using their expert insights, he looked for liners that would be practical and loved by cats. He prioritized durability, price, and ease of use.

The 9 Best Cat Litter Boxes of 2023