Do you have a vacuum cleaner that is specifically engineered for pet owners? Do you have a favorite vacuum cleaner which you believe is the most effective for picking up cat hairs?
The vacuum cleaner manufacturers like to think that a cat owner needs a specialist machine that is particularly powerful to remove deep down dirt and odours together with those dreaded strands of hair that seem to proliferate and which are found in every corner of the home and on every surface! In order to deal with this onslaught you have to have a super strong, odor-reducing, high suction, mean machine! But do you?
You probably have an ordinary vacuum cleaner. It may be 5 even 10 years old and you find it perfectly adequate because as an experienced cat guardian you have learned how to accept and deal with cat hairs and bits of cat litter that have been trodden into the carpet. Of course, you hardly see the cat hairs any more! That’s the best way to deal with cat hairs – not to actually see them. You know the phrase, “what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over”. I’m a great believer in that ;). It applies to dust as well.
Perhaps the best-known cat and dog vacuum cleaner is the Miele Cat and Dog. This is available in Europe and America in different configurations. The reviews are good. It has a powerful suction and an odour reducing system. It is a high-end machine and is probably desired by houseproud people living in nice houses.
http://youtu.be/pOPTA41ReNA
I use a S E B O vacuum cleaner. It is made in Germany. It looks very ordinary but it is highly efficient and well engineered. This vacuum cleaner has several very good features for a cat owner; although I didn’t buy it with pet hairs etc. in mind. It has high suction and the suction does not diminish as the bag fills up. When the bag is full the material inside is so compacted through the suction that it feels hard; evidence of the strength of the suction. I particularly like the optional long extension tube at the end of which is a handheld rotating brush which is powered by the air going over it. In other words, the suction drives the rotor. It is very useful for the bed because it is precise and effective.
I have a feeling that the better the cat caretaker, the less interested the person is in buying a specific sort of vacuum cleaner design for “pets”. They are more concerned about the health and well-being of their cat. I expect that people who are particularly houseproud are more interested in a specialist vacuum cleaner and more concerned about the mess created by their beloved cat. I am sure this is not an ideal attitude.
Rather than being overly concerned about the appearance of the home it is more sensible, before adopting a cat or dog, to reconcile in your mind the fact that your home will not be quite as tidy and as perfect as it once was. It’s about a state of mind and once you have reconciled that matter life’s a lot easier.
Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.
We have a Dyson Animal which is pretty good and my cleaner at work uses a SEBO which is also brilliant. Oddly enough I know someone with a Miele who recommends it very highly for pet hair 🙂
I have an old Kirby and I hate it!
It was great in it’s day (still is really), but it is too much effort to work with – very heavy.
I think I’ll check out Caroline’s Hoover recommendation.
Want everyone to know that I am taking some time off. I’ve had 3 back-to-back-to-back trapping failures with getting all vaccinated.
It’s time to cool off for a while. I only have about 20-22 left to do, but it’s getting very hard now.
I’m taking about a week, with maybe a couple of days just to myself, then resume. I want to sleep, sleep, sleep. So, pleasae forgive me if I am scarce for 2 days or so.
Love to all.
Our leatherlook furniture doesn’t really get hairy a quick rub over with a cloth and a vac round the edges of the cushions now and then keeps it clean, the carpet doesn’t even seem to get very hairy, we (mostly Ruth) hoover every morning and that is that, no stress 🙂
Very organised! I have some hardwood floor in my flat and what I find is that Charlie’s hair gets blown up into the corners and along the skirting boards into little balls.
In the morning when I have been working on the computer and Charlie is next to me, my computer is covered in hair 😉
i can imagine my bedrooom floor has always got rebel’s fur everywhere plus on the couch but i dont mind it.
Hi Michael- neat (lol) article!
When I was at the Blog Paws conference last year, Bissel had a booth, and I was sorely tempted to purchase one of these,
And I should have- since the price was much lower at the conference than it is in stores. They were looking for bloggers to write about their products. :::Slapping self on the side of my face:::::
I have heard a lot of great things about the Bissell. It is touted as really doing a great job with cat hair. Getting cat hair off our couch is almost impossible with a regular vac- so I think I will have to find a way to get one of these asap. Using sticky tape just doesn’t get the job done at all. SIGH
This looks really cute and very useful. I think you need something like this which you can grab and just get rid of hairs on the run so to speak. This is a photograph of my Hoover extension that I use for clearing off hair from the bed. I find it very useful indeed to do this especially as Charlie spent a lot of time on the bed with me.
Bigfoot, like Walter, hates it. If conditions aren’t just right (cat outside) I just don’t vacuum. They make the schedule. Marvin on the other hand, wants to wrestle it to the ground to make it shut up.
My solution for cat hair on the couch, now that Marvin is living inside more and more, is to throw a soft blanket on on the cushions. He loves it. It doesn’t match the rest if the room, but hey….it’s about the cats!
Alpha male tendencies! It is about the cats. I work around Charlie so when he is in one room I hoover the other. I’m always very concerned about him when I’m hoovering and do everything with great delicacy 😉
What I described above, Michael, next to what is a very cleverly engineered machines by Dyson, as you know, priced here at ~450 dollars in the USA, is actually a Hoover. I was suggesting that it’s really a bargain to buy theHoover WindTunnel w/ self-retracting cord for $99. It even has a light to warn you when the filter above the windtunnel cylinder needs to be washed or replaced. I bought mine eighteen months ago. It is used well…at least once weekly 😉 in a five-cat/one-possum/one-raccoon/two-human household, and is easy to maintain. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
LOL. A zoo! Dyson is over-hyped and overpriced judging by the price you have quoted. They used to make very heavy machines. Mr Dyson is British and very rich (billionaire).
Michael, you’re right. It’s a zoo, alright. But it keeps life so very interesting and pleasurable! 🙂 Shrimp is the mediator in all things. He’s very good at his job!
Michael, I replied to Jo above, but it was meant for you to read as well, because I know that you would like to know this, and I do know how much that you care. I am sorry for your losing Missie, too, you know? You know. <3
while we on topic of vaccums does anyones cats get freaked out when turn on the vaccum. Mine usually run straigt away out of the room. i always say to them im geting ur friend out which they all hate.
Pretty well all domestic cats freak out when they hear even the vacuum cleaner being taken out and prepared for use. It must be the sound the machine makes which triggers something inside their heads that is hardwired into their head. There is a page on this on this site:
https://pictures-of-cats.org/why-cats-hate-the-vacuum-cleaner.html
Have you seen that youtube of the cat that lies on her belly, and actually seems to like being suctioned with the hose? I am still trying to wrap my head around that one. 🙂 ??
I feel it necessary to wait until Shrimpster is outside with Oreo, before I can vacuum. Sometimes it takes me almost a full week to finagle it. 😉 And even then, I feel guilty, because I have to coax him out. (I tend to give him one too many treats when he comes back in.)
Caroline LOL.
I have seen horses that LOVE being vacuumed. They seem to enjoy being “groomed” with the hand helds.
Jo, I know that this may not be the most appropriate place to relay this, but I just want you all to know that my MuckyLucky passed away in the wee hours of our morning. She had chosen to sleep on the couch with me the last three nights. I knew that this meant something significant. I just didn’t want to face the truth. She is twenty-years old, so I can’t be a crybaby, you know, I just wish that I had brushed her as she passed. I don’t know, she’s still on the couch in the same spot, and I don’t want to move her. I know that I have to. I have a special, very special basket with a brass closure that I bought years ago just for her. It has housed my drill, computer hardware components and soldering stuff for years, but now I have to take it down from the little chinese table it rested on and put Lucky inside. This is much more difficult than I realized. I want to keep her right there with me on the couch, you know. Shrimp just joined me on the couch, next to Lucky. He paid his respects and hopefully, said his goodbyes earlier this morning. <3
Ahh, Cal that is devastating and very sad. My condolences. You might like to write about her. She passed away naturally, then?
Take care Cal and may she rest in peace.
Michael, that means quite a lot, thank you.
I just have to add this, before moving on, Shrimp (who is still butted up against my leg) heard the microwave go off from the next room, and because it was ~30 seconds, thought that his 4oz frozen salmon filet was being nuked. He is so amusing and fun! 😀
He looked at me, then turned his head towards the kitchen, and then looked at me wide-eyed, “Mom what is going on?” I guess this my motivation to get up, get offline, feed Shrimptaro, and move Lucky to her basket, and call my daughter Madeline. Thanks for replying, Michael. It means a lot to me! 🙂
Hi Cal. Yes, I’ve seen several cats on YouTube who like to be hoovered directly with an extension sucking on their hair! It is quite extraordinary to see because they love it. As usual, it is about individual cats and their preferences but my guess is that 99% of all cats are scared of Hoovers
How do you suppose, you can get your cat to appreciate being groomed in this manner? I guess that I will have to take the time and google it, I mean, 😉 research it, but first, I must attend to other things more important than this. I must. <3
It is probably down to being accustomed to it i.e. it was done to them when they were kittens.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. But maybe not…? maybe it can be done with a mature cat, initially scared of hoovers. Maybe it is possible to rig up a very long extension at first, so that the hoover itself is in the next room, with the door closed as much as possible, blankets in the doorframe. I don’t know. just a thought. I’m thinking that I will let this one go. Curiosity killed the cat. lol 😉
Cal so sorry to hear about your cat. I agree with michael its good to write an article it helps with the grief, when i said goodbye to cassy it helps us all grieve with you. Hugs At least you had her or him for a long time my thoughts are with you at this time
hugs
Walter hates it, we can’t vacuum if he is in, it doesn’t bother Jozef at all, he’s very laid back about everything except vets lol
It is all about individual cats and their likes and dislikes. It is quite interesting to see the differences. All the cats that I have lived with have hated the vacuum cleaner!
yea all mine do though i know cassy tolerated it as long as u didnt get to close to her. The same thing when its revolution time (flea treatment) as soon as ive put it on they all run away and sulk and get punished for a few hours) its like they automaticly run away. I have to trick some of them though as i think they can sense that something is going to happen even when its vet time.
I bought it eighteen months ago for $89.
We have an ordinary Bush vacuum cleaner which does the job good enough for us and lasts for years.
We tried a Henry last time which is a similar shape but it had steel pipes which made it very heavy to use.
This article reminded me of years ago when the chassis broke on one, Barbara’s late husband John made it a wooden shelf to stand on, with castors lol the only vacuum in a wheelchair
Nothing fancy then?! As I said to Mark, this is exactly what I thought you would say, as well.
The best vacuum that is affordable to those of us without much money here in the us is actually a Hoover, the rewinding ‘WindTunnel.’ It is as powerful as the “Animal.”
Thank you, Cal, for that little budgetary tip! Much appreciated.
And you are so welcome, Michael. I’m having a difficult time at the moment. Just discovered that the Buzzcocks are only doing one date in the USA, in Long Beach, of all places. You Brits are more fortunate than we are over here. (Sorry, to go off there, but my roots are from the late 70’s.)
I have some random thing that was in the flat when I bought it!
But it has a turbo boost! And it is pretty powerful. But I don’t have any ends for it so for now I just use the tube.
Just goes to show you how little fussed I am about cat hair.
This is what I would expect you to say. You can see in the article that I kind of predicted that this would be your response 😉
lol – so you know I am messy or you know I’m ok with cat hair? – or the most likely – you know I’m both 🙂
I knew you wouldn’t care too much about cat hair everywhere because you care a lot about your cats. Pretty much as straightforward as that 😉
Ironically – I tend to leave certain messes because its more interesting for the cats. For example they love dirty clothes in piles or strewn around and I feel bad removing them sometimes. Also, little balls of paper or bottle caps – I leave them. You might think I use the floor as a rubbish bin and you would be right to some extent 🙂
lols marc im sure your cats appreciate it. As it prob reminds them when ur at work taht your still there. 🙂
well i got a Nilflisk extreme and it works pretty well came with two foots. seems to work well. ive had it for over 7yrs now and works great