Vacuum cleaners

Okay, I know you guys have raved about how great the Dyson vacuum cleaner is, but I can't afford $450 for yet another vacuum. This is my dilemma and I want to know if the Dyson would solve this problem, or do the same thing my Dirt Devil is doing...
I just vacuumed my living room which is all natural stone tile and an area rug in the center. I put the vacuum away when I was done and noticed that some of the litter that had been on the area rug was merely pushed onto the tile. The bag inside had been replaced before I started vacuuming.
All I want is a vacuum cleaner that's going to actaully suck up the litter without me having to use the hand attachment and go over the entire floor!! Does one exist??? HELLLLLP!!

We have a mat in front of the litter trays to pick up litter off their paws when they're done, and we tip it upside down when we vacuum. Heaps of litter falls onto the carpet and the Dyson picks it all up well. I keep vacuuming until the litter sound stops, which doesn't take long.

If you can put together the money it's a great investment that you'll be pleased with long term.

Unfortunately I don't know cheaper brands, but I've heard good things about the Oreck.

See, that mat idea that you have would solve most, if not all, of my problem. My two litterboxes are on stone tile, so there's nothing there to get the litter off their paws. I'll definitely look into getting some floor mats at the Dollar Store or something, because I'm always sweeping the litter up around the boxes with my little hand broom.
Thank you so much!

We got something similar to this - http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...N=2033737&Ne=2

At first they kept jumping from the carpet to the edge of the litter tray because they didn't like how it felt under their paws, but they're fine with it now.

Wow, that's pretty expensive for something that looks like a regular mat! It's supposed to be used in conjunction with one of those self-scooping electronic litter boxes? I'd have to buy at least two of them.

I got mats at Home Depot for about $4.00 and they work just fine for my cats.
They are the outdoor mats that you wipe your feet on but they aren't as coarse. They are just small black mats. I put one under each litter box and have no real problems with cat litter on the hardwoods.

I own a Bissel Powerforce bagless that I love. I paid 70.00 for it 2 yrs ago and love it.

Originally Posted by jugen

I got mats at Home Depot for about $4.00 and they work just fine for my cats.
They are the outdoor mats that you wipe your feet on but they aren't as coarse. They are just small black mats. I put one under each litter box and have no real problems with cat litter on the hardwoods.

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now, that's a price I can live with! Thanks for the tip!

Originally Posted by Ping

I own a Bissel Powerforce bagless that I love. I paid 70.00 for it 2 yrs ago and love it.

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If I buy one more vacuum cleaner, my husband's going to have a fit. I have the Dirt Devil and that thing called "the Shark" which totally bites, because it blows the hair AWAY from it instead of sucking it inside! Go figure. And I have one those brooms that sweeps the hair and dirt off the rug and it's rubber tipped (both sides)---one of those "As Seen On TV" things. Also I have a Bissell Lite shampooer. Geez, I sound like my house should be spotless....IT'S NOT! Ha ha.

Originally Posted by menasmom

Wow, that's pretty expensive for something that looks like a regular mat! It's supposed to be used in conjunction with one of those self-scooping electronic litter boxes? I'd have to buy at least two of them.

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We got one extra large one, and put it in front of the 2 litter boxes and it catches the litter from both of them. And no, it doesn't need to be used with self scooping litter boxes.

Actually - this is more like the one we got, but the extra large size - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3665&subref=AA

I don't think we paid that much for it though... Look for it in your local pet store. I like it because the litter gets well and truly caught in it and can't be dragged around by the kitty until you shake it out. It's also washable with some soap and water, so easy to clean if you need to.

We have a built in wall vaccum system. It's okay on the carpet, but excels on solid floors (tile, wood), cabinets and cobwebs.

The mat thing that I got for my cats isn't really a mat at all but a tray with a sort of 'grill' on top so the stuff falls through from their paws without tracking onto the carpet. It's all blue and plastic from PetsMart but I've already tried to find it on the website, no luck. Works great and you can dump the stuff in a trashcan or whatever. The kittens don't mind it at all and never tried to avoid it because the 'grill' is like a hard plastic 'screen' with little squares holes smaller than the width of a pencil but yet large enough to let even the thickest litter go through.
So, if you ever find on in Petsmart (it's near the other mats), try it out. I think it was only about $15-$20 but at least you don't have to turn it upside down and then vacumm.

Riccar is a lot better then Dyson. We were at a vacuum shop that has all kinds. They repair other vacuum cleaners too. We got a first hand demo on the Riccars vs the Dysons. If you flip over the Dysons its nothing but plastic - the Riccars are metal and made much better. They also pick up litter and hair better then Dysons.

We got to use both vacuums on rugs and it was amazing. Unless you test them yourselves you won't realize it.

Riccars are a little higher price but when we get another vacuum (soon) it will be the Riccar. He's had people buy a Dyson and a few months later bring it into the shop with pieces falling off or finding out they are not as good as advertised.

You might want to check into them.

Originally Posted by sarahp

We got one extra large one, and put it in front of the 2 litter boxes and it catches the litter from both of them. And no, it doesn't need to be used with self scooping litter boxes.

Actually - this is more like the one we got, but the extra large size - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3665&subref=AA

I don't think we paid that much for it though... Look for it in your local pet store. I like it because the litter gets well and truly caught in it and can't be dragged around by the kitty until you shake it out. It's also washable with some soap and water, so easy to clean if you need to.

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See, that's what I was thinking about getting in the first place---and this picture from the link reminds me of it---you know those plastic" grassy looking mats" they sell in the stores, with the raised, grassy-looking plastic grass? I think that's the same concept that they're using on that website. I just hope my cats don't mistake it for real grass and use IT for a litter box!

I have a Eureka The Boss 4870. I think it's great. We've had it for a few years now, bought it in 2004. It's an upright, has onboard tools (our old vacuum did not and that was a problem), and is great for my allergies. I think it's better for a mostly carpeted home.

here's a link to it.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Riccar is a lot better then Dyson. We were at a vacuum shop that has all kinds. They repair other vacuum cleaners too. We got a first hand demo on the Riccars vs the Dysons. If you flip over the Dysons its nothing but plastic - the Riccars are metal and made much better. They also pick up litter and hair better then Dysons.

We got to use both vacuums on rugs and it was amazing. Unless you test them yourselves you won't realize it.

Riccars are a little higher price but when we get another vacuum (soon) it will be the Riccar. He's had people buy a Dyson and a few months later bring it into the shop with pieces falling off or finding out they are not as good as advertised.

You might want to check into them.

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I've never even heard of that brand---Riccar??? Do they sell them in stores like Target?

No, but you could look them up for a dealer near you - its not a commercial type of vacuum that you can pick up in Walmart/Costco - but DH and I both looked at it and agree it will be our next vacuum

We have a lab and we are looking for a vacuum that can pick up fur. Many of the lab owners like Dysons, but we don't. I think they will be sorry in a few years.

Heh, I took a look at the Riccar vacuum site, and it appears only one retailer in all of Canada sells Riccar vacuums, lol. Looks like I'm still going with my dream of owning a Dyson.