Catch the litter at the box exit first
A Domestic Shorthair tracks litter because grains cling to paw pads and the fur between her toes, then shed as she walks. The highest-return fix sits at the box exit: a large litter mat with deep grooves or a honeycomb top layer, big enough that she takes three or four steps on it in whichever direction she leaves. Small mats fail because a cat steps off the box, takes one stride and is already on bare floor with loaded paws.
Position matters as much as the mat. A box wedged in a tight corner forces her to jump out over the side, scattering litter in an arc no mat covers; give her a walking exit. If the box must live on carpet, extend the mat well beyond the box footprint and shake it out outdoors or into the bin every few days, because a full mat stops trapping and starts redistributing.
Look at the litter itself and how she digs
A Domestic Shorthair who digs enthusiastically or buries with real commitment will throw litter regardless of mats. Keep the fill at a steady depth — roughly a few inches — topped up rather than allowed to thin out, because shallow litter gets scraped down to the box floor and flung, and very deep litter gets excavated in piles. If grains are constantly packed between her toes, the litter may be too fine and dusty for her; a slightly heavier, lower-dust type often releases from paws more cleanly. Change litter gradually, mixing the new into the old over a week, since a sudden swap can make a cat avoid the box entirely, which is a far worse problem than tracking.
Longer fur between the toes collects more litter, so check her paws when you groom her and gently trim the tufts if she tolerates it. Also watch how she leaves: a cat who bolts from the box may be startled by its location, a nearby appliance noise, or another pet waiting outside it, and a calmer exit route — box moved away from the washing machine, ambush routes blocked — reduces both flinging and tracking.
Contain the trail with a daily two-minute routine
A Domestic Shorthair's tracked litter migrates on a schedule you can interrupt. Grains land near the box, get picked up by socks and shoes, and travel room to room within a day. A quick daily sweep or handheld vacuum around the box and along her route to the next room catches litter while it is still local; a weekly deep clean lets it reach bedding and sofas first, and scoop at least daily, because a cat avoiding soiled patches steps and digs more energetically, flicking clean litter further.
When tracking points at something else
A Domestic Shorthair whose tracking suddenly worsens deserves a closer look rather than a bigger mat. Sticky or clumped litter on her paws can follow a change in her stools, and frequent small trips to the box that scatter litter each time can signal she is straining or uncomfortable. Blood in the box, crying while toileting, going outside the box or a sharp change in how much she drinks or urinates are all reasons to speak to a veterinarian promptly rather than treat it as a housekeeping issue.
Assuming she is well, accept that zero tracking is not a realistic target with a digging cat in a lived-in home; the win is a short trail that ends within a step or two of the mat. The routine holds when it is shared rather than remembered, and KinsLe Care Teams lets your household give the daily scoop, sweep and mat shake for the Domestic Shorthair to one named person at a time, each chore confirmed with a timestamp.