SFGate

dalma darling I have the same situation in my home. Are you able to post a photo of the mudroom? I don't know if you have room for it, but I've used a litter mat that sticks out from under the box on all sides to help protect the floors and track the litter. I also highly recommend buying or building some sort of enclosure for the box so it's not exposed - that seems to keep the litter in one place (and makes the fact that we have the box a bit more tolerable!)

doreevw I'm not sure how large your room is but we have our "cat room" in an oak wall unit with cupboards beneath. The litter box is in one of the lower cupboards which is about 28" wide x 28" high x 17" deep but my cat could handle much smaller as we used to have a covered cat box that must have been half that size. Anyhow, my husband cut a kitty door size hole out of the side of the unit where our cat enters. We open the 2 cupboard doors to clean it. As long as we keep up with the proper maintenance then the odor is contained and most of the litter stays inside. It's by far the best place we've ever had a litter box in our little house. No one even knows it's there until they hear the cat scratching the litter.

thelmalouise Forgot to mention that we have THREE litterboxes in there :}
The room's about 10x13. I was thinking maybe a partition would work (?) as long as it comes all the way down to the floor. Maybe that and the litter mats that dalma darling mentioned would work...(thank you!) The room will be getting very wet and muddy as we'll be using that entrance from the barn/paddocks when we bring our horses home soon. Currently we don't use this entrance but will definitely need this room soon as a mud catcher. I love the idea of the wall unit (thanks doreevw!) but don't have anything big enough...

dalma darling Thanks for sharing some more info - that helps! The litter mats are key - I picked them up at PetSmart and they are great. I think something built up and around the boxes will be the best solution for you. It can still be a multi-functional space and not feel like just the cat's area. A few photos I found for inspiration. Are you a DIYer or are you looking to buy something?

This may be the easiest build and most useful use of your space. A bench that doubles for taking muddy boots on and off and hiding the litter boxes could be the best solution. Waterfront Estate

I like this easy in and out for the cats and for cleaning: List

Really tucked away: Soft Modern Highland Village

Barnhart Gallery Large coco mat maybe? I put wide wire mesh over the litter for houserabbits, but their stuff falls thru!

rouxb Top entry litter boxes tend to keep tracked litter at bay.

Marie Hebson's interiorsBYDESIGN Inc. What we did is built a plywood box for our cats to go into with their litterboxes inside the bigger box.
When they jump in and out of the big plywood box, the step they stand on is one of those grass type fabrics that grip litter, and stop it from spreading around! It works like a charm!

thelmalouise Thanks so much for all the great suggestions everyone! I love the built-ins but we just spent all our money on a horse barn and paddocks so this is definitely a low budget diy job! In fact, my husband is busy doing some of the barn renovation himself so the mudroom is more like a "dimwnh" (do it myself no help) job :}

It seems like what would be great is a long, enclosed box, open at one end with a hinged drop down door all along the length of the front to open for cleaning...IF I could build that. I will definitely be trying either the PetSmart litter mats or the cocoa rug or grass-type fabric sounds like it would work too and may be less expensive than the # of litter mats I would need from PS to cover the area around the 3 boxes.

eztia If the mat to catch the litter is too prickly, the cat might just do as a kitty I know and jump right over it! Cats are tricky, as you no doubt already know. Perhaps a carpet remnant until you find the texture that works?

curacaoblue try putting a smaller carpet under all 3 boxes and every time you clean the boxes take the carpet outside and shake it out into the trash very well to keep it clean of litter. The cats like to clean their paws after a trip to the box so they will naturally get the litter off if given a chance. Pick a low end industrial carpet. I use ones from walmart or home depot that cost around $10 and they work very well. Low end is actually a good thing because the litter will come out of it easier when you shake it out. remnants are a good idea too. The cats don't know any difference. They think they are walking on regular carpet lol.