I was given an Electrolux vacuum as a shower gift 15 years ago. It lasted 13 years until I burnt the motor out. It worked great on carpets, sucking up everything in sight. Instead of investing in a new one ($600 and up), I decided to go the Hoover route ($260 price range). Boy, was that a mistake. I have it for about 2.5 years and it could die anytime now! I have mostly wood floors now, and that would be the only reason not to get another Electrolux.

Do you think that we could get the Electrolux guy to come to our apartment and do a demonstration? Do they still do that? We want to test a machine with Olga's fur before buying one...

Oh, you really need to let me know how this works out for you. We have three very fuzzy cats and have been loosing the cat-fur battle every summer. I don't know much about Dyson, but a (cat-less) friend of mine bought a $700 Miele and says it rocks her world
- http://www.mielevacuums.com/
I however have been tempted to try out the not too expensive Roomba.
http://www.irobot.com/consumer product_detail.cfm?prodid=17
It was invented by Rodney Brooks (MIT) and it is supposed to destroy pet hair.
Plus - you can set it on a timer and it will vaccum for you every day while you are out or at work!!!

Roomba might be a really good option due to your space/storage concerns. I live in a gigantic house and I'm still annoyed at how much room the vaccuum takes up in the closet.

Dyson also makes a vacuum specifically for pet owners (the purple ones). I've heard good things about them, especially the "beater bar" feature that gets out the ground-in pet hair. I can't give first hand testimony though.

I live with six cats in a small 2-bedroom apartment. We purchased the Dyson Animal (not sure of the model number, but it's purple and comes with LOTS of attachments) It was expensive (almost $600 with tax), but worth every cent. We have a very dark carpet in our livingroom which attracts every hair, whisker, and stray grain of cat litter. The Dyson does a great job getting it clean. I'll send you the link if you're interested.

The Dyson we finally (lots of agonizing and penny pinching) purchased this weekend is a source of endless fun/fascination -- I'm not sure how long the daily vacuuming event will last, but we will always appreciate the fabulous sucking power. It was worth the $400 bucks to see my otherwise messy husband vacuuming enthusiastically.

I think the key is to buy a high quality vacuum, whether it's a Dyson or Miele or whatever. Dyson is cultish b/c of the space-aged design and eccentric inventor. I am allergic to dust, and one of Dyson's big competitive advantages is the absense of the dust bag: the whole rig is meant to eliminate your contact with the dust when you have to dump out the cannister. Also, the lifetime filter needs a rinse once in a while, but you never replace it (the Mieles have HEPA filters that you must replace -- I think they are pricey.) The fun part is the transparent cannister -- the machine probably sucks up as much as any other good vacuum, but nothing beats the sense of satisfaction/progress you feel when you see what you've picked up out of the rug.

When comparing Dysons we decided that the main difference between the 3-4 models (besides the newest, most expensive "ball-roller" which has some design improvements and is more agile) is the color and attachments. The basic yellow comes with 3 "tools" and the purple "animal" comes with these plus 2 more larger tools: the animal attachment and the tool that lets you vacuum easily under furniture. You can buy these both separately later on for $40 each, and the price difference seems to reflect the cost of the extra attachments. With one kitty, the regular vacuum seems to do the job -- we tend to fight more dust than cat hair. Maybe once we add more creatures to the fold we'll go out and get the animal attachment.

My only complaints are the vacuum is huge (we may just give it a place of honor in the corner of the living room) and heavy (although I think they're all rather heavy.) Other than that, the transition from cheapy vacuum to this is one of life's big domestic milestones, like the first matching set of flatware, or the evolution from using blue tack on the walls to having only framed things hanging.

I've a friend here with a Roomba. She's got three yippie dogs and it does a nice job on that hair. There's the added bonus of the Roomba running itself and freaking the living hell out of the dogs.

And no, we will not shave the cats.

Please?

I have four cats and a DH - all very furry. Have both smallish area rugs and hardwood floors. Consumer Reports recommended the Hoover Wind Tunnel Self-Propelled Ultra. Love it love it love it. Does great on all floor surfaces and has a wicked-cool attachment for upholstery that has a "beater bar" thingy. Great for getting woven-in cat hair out of the couch. CR wasn't that thrilled with Dyson, although it is very cool looking. Roomba has problems with loss of battery life, not getting stuck on things, and it scared the heck out of the cats.

Some vacuum stores will let you bring in a rug or whatever to test out their vacuums.

One drawback with the Hoover is it is LOUD. I wear ear plugs when I use it. The cats, however, follow it around everywhere. I don't understand.

I can. It rocks. We have four in the office. Of course, we do handle public relations for Mr. Dyson, but I've never seen a vacuum quite like it.

I love my Dyson! It really does suck :). I have 2 cats and a hairy hairy labrador. I think I am pulling hair from the last century still.

It is easy to use, easy to push, and easy to empty (outside over a trashcan).

Matt, do you think we could get Dyson to test out their vacuums at our house, as a PR event? Of course, they would have to give us a free one, but...

You have read the Tomato Nation saga of Roomba vs. cats, right?

http://www.tomatonation.com/roombaloo.shtml

We have just bought a Dyson Animal CDC15, the ball version. And I would whole heartedly recommend it for anyone that has allergies and animals. The amount of hair it picks up is frightening and the carpet is so bouncy afterwards. And I can honestly say it has reduced my husband's wheeziness because of unseen dust. And it is a lot easier to push around once it is on as it seems to float - the ball version is brilliant as it glides across the carpet or where you are, and it is all automatic when it gets to a extra bit that needs more suction, it just does it.

I wish we had bought one earlier, but I definately will NOT give this one up :-)