“Can I Vacuum a Cat?” Why It’s Dangerous & What to Remove Hair With Instead
I’m sure most of us have curiously thought about how nice it would be if we could just vacuum off all the hair from our cats.
Dealing with cat hair and shedding is one of the most frustrating parts of cat ownership and the fluffy stuff gets everywhere!
It goes into rooms I don’t even let my cats into, it goes into my coffee mugs, I’m basically coughing up hairballs myself with three in the house – and I shave two of them at home regularly!
So it’d be a massive lie if I told you I’d never thought about vacuuming a cat. Especially after one of these shaving sessions.
That being said…
Picture from post The Story of The Three Musketeer Persian Cats (& an Imposter)
Why Vacuuming Cat Hair off a Cat’s Body Is Not a Good Idea
I really, really don’t think it’s a good idea to do. For a few reasons.
The biggest one being that I feel it is a ridiculously dangerous thing to do…
Why Vacuuming a Cat Could Be Incredibly Dangerous for Your Cat
I’m not talking about your cat freaking out and scratching you this second.
Assuming that your cat isn’t going to do that (though he or she almost certainly will).
You’re putting your cat’s eyeballs at stake if you ever go near a cat with a vacuum.
And yes, that even means if your cat trying to play with the end bit of the vacuum and not you trying to vacuum him or her.
Think about it, a vacuum goes just a little way away from where you wanted it to go and goes toward your cat’s face, most everything would be fine but definitely not your cat’s poor eyes!
I don’t even want to imagine the outcome. Don’t even take the risk; make sure cats are way far away when the vacuum is on!
Yup, that means you too if your cat somehow likes to chase the end of a vacuum when it’s on!
None of this is saying anything about the stress of the cat – which it’s obvious should 100% be taken into account because high levels of stress and anxiety over something that’s not even remotely near necessary to do makes zero sense to try. But let’s get back into physical bodily harm because…
Interpet Pet Love Kat Tikkler Feather Wand Cat Toy – Amazon / eBay
Obviously, Vacuuming a Cat is Also Incredibly Dangerous for You
Let’s go back to that point for a second about how cat’s will probably freak out and scratch you if you have a vacuum on around them, even if they are typically chill with vacuum noises…
Yeah a scared cat and sharp nails are no joke. Even if they’re trimmed.
Let alone cat bites… all for what? Pretty much nothing, and a whole lot of bother for your cat if they don’t like the sound of a vacuum.
Cats can sometimes be okay with the sound of the vacuum (they’re usually not, for good reason, vacuums are LOUD!).
I will admit that my cats are now perfectly okay with the sound of my new vacuum cleaner (I use the Xiaomi XM210008 vacuum cleaner on low setting).
Cause it’s quiet and they will sometimes even be tempted to play around it because of the way I use it to move around the floor..
But even if a cat’s okay with the sound of a vacuum cleaner normally, that doesn’t mean they won’t randomly decide now is the time to freak out and if that’s the case, you’re really gonna get some sharp scratches.
Ultimately, I actually don’t think vacuuming would help even if you could guarantee any of this would not happen (say, by putting your kitty into a cat astronaut muzzle, and wrapping him or her in a towel, all while your cat not caring about the sound cause he/she is so chill…).
Because here’s the deal about vacuuming cat hair off your cats body…
Trixie Pet Products Minou Cuddly Cave – Amazon / Chewy
Why Vacuuming Cat Hair Off Your Cat’s Body Probably Wouldn’t Work Anyway
Okay, so here’s the thing.
If you’ve ever tried to get cat hair off of sofas, blankets, clothes, made of fabrics that are like cotton or even fleece… you’ve got a small idea about the type of challenge you’d be faced with if you were to try a vacuum on one of these surfaces. It’s not really going to work.
Think it’s gonna work if you put it on your cat? Naw, that’s even more likely to cling on for dear life and never come off.
What you need when you’re trying to get cat hair off a sofa is something like a lint roller or a velvet lint brush.
Something that really gets in there and clings on to the cat hair more than the surface you’re trying to remove the cat hair from.
Same goes for your cat. Which a vacuum cleaner is, in my opinion, not going to be able to do at all.
So what do you do if you wanna get as much hair as possible off your cat?
Honestly I’ve tried so much – so many different types of cat hair removal products, so many types of brushes. It’s annoying how many don’t work practically at all.
None of them are perfect, but honestly the only one I can recommend for getting as much off as possible is the Furminator.
It doesn’t take off any of the cat hair that’s attached to your cat’s body, just the loose under-coat. I’ve used some other brushes that do seem to cut the hair instead, which I hate.
I have a few different types of Furminators (big/small, long hair/short hair), and all of them work on all types of cats far better than any other product I’ve ever used. I just can’t seem to get enough hair off with anything else, sadly.
So give those a shot for sure if you just can’t seem to find anything decent to get a cat’s loose hair off.
Furminator Long Hair for Cats Undercoat Deshedding Tool – Amazon / eBay
Your Thoughts on Vacuuming Cats?
Have you ever thought about vacuuming a cat? Even if it’s just in a funny sort of way, imagining the cat being perfectly content while you vacuumed him or her in some alternate universe.
Did you think about the potential to harm a cat’s eyes with a vacuum even if he or she was perfectly at ease with the process?
Can you think of other forms of injury that might happen using a vacuum to take off cat hair, even if a cat was perfectly happy to have a vacuum around them or touching their body?
Do you wish sometimes that vacuuming a cat was not only okay to do (i.e. not stressful for the cat, not a physical risk to them, and actually worked for getting rid of cat hair!).
What do you find works for removing loose cat hair on your kitty’s body, since we don’t live in an alternate universe where we can just vacuum it off!
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Elise Xavier
Have three pet cats, Avery, Bjorn, & Athos whom I love to bits. Obsessed with cats. Figured I might as well blog about ’em.
Fond of my fluffies? See more of them on my personal blog, E&T. Dig KittyClysm? Check out all the other blogs I pen & photograph.
Elise’s Favourite Tip
One of the most frustrating problems I’ve had to deal with as a pet parent is staying on top of my cats’ desire to play. While this is typically hard to do, toys like these that allow cats to play by themselves make the job one heck of a lot easier.
The hits in my household are ridiculously affordable: cat springs, ball track toys, & kick sticks. I have a slew scattered around the house, so when my cats get bored, even if I’m busy or not even home, my furries are able to actively play.
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Hi, I’m Elise! Welcome to KittyClysm – a blog for cat lovers & kitty keepers. Join me & my furries in our little corner of the feline-obsessed world. Facts about cats, training tips, odd behaviours, pet care advice – I talk as much as I can about it all here!
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