Advice for protecting wood floor in litter room

[Hucat302]

I just moved into a new home with newly done hardwood floors and am turning the pantry into a small litter room. I plan on purchasing a clear hard plastic mat the covers the entire floor but it was pointed out to me that I should make sure the sides are all sealed to prevent any accidental leakage that might occur from getting underneath the mat and ruining the floors. Anyone have any idea what I can use to seal the sides and still look kind of pretty or neat and clean at least? This is the room. The floor is 2.05 ft x 4.08 ft. Thanks!

 

[Kris107]

I sometimes use shelf liner. It's just an adhesive film. You'd have to put it on top of the mat though so nothing goes under the mat. Another thought would be a large boot tray?

 

[neely]

You may want to consider a vinyl mat for it's waterproof protection. If you live near a Home Depot or similar store you may want to ask one of the employees for a suggestion. I've always found them to be very helpful.

 

[Kieka]

You could probably do something like a shower pan or an large underbed storage bin under the litter box if you wanted to protect it really well. Just remember to put a pad or cloth under it too so that the wood doesn't get scratches from the movement of the pan.

 

[iPappy]

Unattractive solution would be a tarp that you could fold upwards along the walls so nothing gets under the baseboards. Anything waterproof should do the trick but I would want it to have a "lip" all the way around for that reason especially.

 

[vampiric_conure]

All I can think of is using a tarp or shower curtain, and then add a box or something to put the litter pan inside.

 

[Margot Lane]

I like all of these suggestions. My mind also drifts towards a possible corner round or trim which could go on top of whatever it is you put down…maybe it could be removed once in awhile just check on how things are going beneath. Maybe some kind of caulk along lower edge of baseboard? (Not sure if there are neighbors beneath you but knew of a cat hoarder on a 7th floor and let’s just say the 6th floor person was none too happy with what emanated from above). That’s a nice space. Can it be aerated, either with window screen or fan?

 

[DeesCats]

H Hucat302 , if it was in my house I would consider getting some vinyl sheet flooring remnant in the color/pattern you like that is larger than the floor space so you can 'run' it up the walls a bit. It would make it easier to contain litter box accidents and easy to clean as well as protect the wood floor.

How many litter boxes and cats do you have or are planning on having?

 

[iPappy]

H Hucat302 , if it was in my house I would consider getting some vinyl sheet flooring remnant in the color/pattern you like that is larger than the floor space so you can 'run' it up the walls a bit. It would make it easier to contain litter box accidents and easy to clean as well as protect the wood floor.

How many litter boxes and cats do you have or are planning on having?

That would be a much more attractive solution than my tarp idea!

 

[Caspers Human]

We have a medium sized, fold-up, wire dog cage that we got from Walmart. It's approx. 2 ft. X 3 ft. square We keep it just for emergencies when we have to contain a cat. (e.g. If a cat comes home from the vet and needs to be placed on restriction or, maybe a cat goes aggro and needs to be separated until it calms down.) We only used it one time when Elliot came home from the vet. He only spent one day in the crate because he just got neutered and the vet recommended keeping him on restriction for 24 hours. After that, the crate got folded up and stored in the basement.

We needed a second litter box because, we now have two cats and we wanted something to put under the box to contain any "collateral damage." We took out he bottom tray from the cage and put it under the upstairs litter box. It works well to catch spillovers and collects most of the litter that gets tracked out of the box. An occasional pass with the vacuum sweeper is all that we need to pick up any crumbs of litter that get tracked out.

It works, pretty well, for us. It's made of black plastic and it's got a raised lip, about two inches tall. It looks fairly decent and it's easy to clean when the time comes. All we have to do is take it outside and hose it down then give it a quick scrub and a rinse with Clorox and hot water. Once it's dry, it goes back into place.

If you already have a crate with a removable bottom, why not repurpose that? It looks as nice as a cat's litter box can look. It's easy to care for. It's a simple solution that doesn't require spending money.

If you don't already have a safety crate for your cats, why not? You should get one!

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

 

[happilyretired]

I have litter boxes in a closet [door removed] with a wood floor. I spread an old shower curtain over the floor and have that covered by a cotton rug (washable). The litter boxes rest on the rug.

 

[Katpet]

I just moved into a new home with newly done hardwood floors and am turning the pantry into a small litter room. I plan on purchasing a clear hard plastic mat the covers the entire floor but it was pointed out to me that I should make sure the sides are all sealed to prevent any accidental leakage that might occur from getting underneath the mat and ruining the floors. Anyone have any idea what I can use to seal the sides and still look kind of pretty or neat and clean at least? This is the room. The floor is 2.05 ft x 4.08 ft. Thanks!


View attachment 481693

I use puppy pads. They have light adhesive tape on each corner. The right size will allow you to position the edge of the pads up the wall as much as you want!