Does lining a litter tray make it smell more? What to do about them scratching it away

[OhLook]

My cats are over enthusiastic scratchers of the litter tray and the bottom is all scratched and rough because of it. I'm sure this makes it smell more because the smell lingers in the scratched bits and is impossible to get out.

I'm just about to buy a new tray because it's cracked and wondered about lining this one so it doesn't happen? I've heard this makes it smell more though. Does it?

What do other people do?

Buy a new one and recycle the old one at the tip.

The liners get snagged on their claws ime.

A friend tried this - they would just scratch through the liners and then the bottom of the tray. Or get the liners caught as Fluffy said above, and somehow manage to drag the liner and a few tons of litter across the floor when they left the tray.

I thought liners/ puppy pads made the smell worse. And they just claw through the liners. I just wash my tray out regularly.

Have you tried an enclosed litter tray with a roof? Might help with the smell. Our cat has one and it’s great. I also use liners and don’t have any issues with DCat scratching through it. Makes cleaning the tray out a much more pleasant job.