The pet parent contract comes with certain terms and conditions, and that includes a tolerance for omnipresent pet hair. You’re also signing off on a lot of stains, paranoia about your pet’s activities when you’re not home, and the slim (but never zero) chance that you’ll come home to an accident on the floor. The best vacuum for pets can help mitigate these problems. How do I know? Because I’ve spent years testing vacuums in my own apartment (not a lab), cleaning up after my own cats.
While every pet parent needs a vacuum to quell the pet hair situation, some vacuums can take on even more pet-related responsibilities. There are robot vacuums that can avoid pet waste, robot vacuums with livestream pet cameras, and a robot vacuum that comes with its own portable carpet cleaner — now we just need Roborock to expand the Saros Z70’s robotic arm capabilities to pet toy cleanup. Manual cordless vacuums come with their own advantageous flexibility, like the option to go handheld and extend cleaning to furry furniture and staircases. I use both types of vacuums daily and wrote a whole buying guide for anyone stumped between a robot vacuum and a stick vacuum.
How long should a vacuum last? The lifespan to expect from corded, cordless, and robot vacuums.
Black Friday is definitely one of the best times of year to buy a vacuum. While all of my favorite stick and robot vacuums have already been on sale at some point in 2025, Black Friday vacuum deals are typically the most drastic discounts of the year. Both the expensive, high-power flagship vacuums and the already budget-friendly vacuums could easily be half off in November.
So, which vacuum would be the most helpful in your household? I’m continuously testing the top robot vacuums and cordless stick vacuums in my two-cat apartment, and I’m ready to name the best vacuums for pet owners as of late 2025.
How to choose a robot vacuum for pet hair
For a full breakdown of these features, check out my guide to everything you need to know before buying a robot vacuum.
Suction power and brush rolls
I recommend vacuums with at least 6,000 Pa suction power for effective pet hair pickup, though homes with heavy carpeting and more than two pets should consider suction power of at least 12,000 Pa. But the brush roll system is nearly just as important when choosing a vacuum for pet fur. In my testing, vacuums with dual brush rolls are far more effective.
I also recommend keeping a good cordless stick vacuum on hand — stick vacuums are just more powerful than robot vacuums in general. Shark, Dyson, and Dreame all make powerful stick vacuums with enough power to make pet hair disappear.
Automatic emptying
Pet parents should definitely opt for a self-emptying robot vacuum — so much fur being sucked up will lead to a full dustbin faster, and you won’t feel like emptying it yourself every day. Even with daily usage, an auto-empty robot vacuum can last between one and three months before you need to empty the dustbin.
Mopping
If hardwood or tile is prevalent in your home, the best robot vacuum and mop combo for pet hair will be able to sanitize the floor while mopping and then wash its own mops to rinse off any lingering hair. Mopping is also much more likely to effectively wipe up other minuscule pet-related debris, like pet dander and kitty litter dust, that are too small to be inhaled by a vacuum’s suction power.
Smart mapping
Some rooms or spots on the floor within those rooms get furrier than others. A smart mapping robot vacuum learns the layout of your home and can head to specific zones on command, which you can queue up right from the app. In my opinion, smart mapping is the most worthwhile robot vacuum feature, and should be a baseline even when searching for a cheap model — cleaning performance is a moot point if the vacuum can’t get where it needs to go in the first place.
Small obstacle avoidance
Some advanced robot vacuums use cameras and 3D sensors to pinpoint any small roadblocks in the cleaning path in front of them. When successful, these vacuums save themselves from eating most pet toys, cords, laundry, or socks or shoes, avoid ramming into pet bowls, and even dodge pet waste.
Other robot vacuums I’ve tested recently
I tested several other top robot vacuums in the past that didn’t make the most recent cut for this list. Some, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Roborock Qrevo Master, Narwal Freo X Ultra, and various versions of the Roomba j7, were my top recommendations at one point, but have since been overshadowed by newer, more powerful models that are a better bang for your buck. Most recently, I was impressed by the Roomba Plus 505 Combo, Plus 405 Combo, and Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra, but they ultimately just weren’t the most thorough vacuum cleaners in their price range.
Vacuums I’m testing soon
The next vacuums slated for at-home testing are the Shark Stratos 2-in-1 NeverTouch, the Roborock H60 Hub Ultra, and eventually, the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai. I’ll be getting my hands on these as soon as possible and updating my top picks for pet owners accordingly.
