I like my Roomba. We have 4 cats and it helps keep the fur tumbleweeds under control. None of the cats really care about it but they will move if it gets close enough to touch them. They are MUCH more afraid of the upright vacuum and will run and hide before we even turn that one on.

I bought mine from Hammacher Schlemmer. It was a little more expensive than other websites but they offer a lifetime guarantee refund/replacement for any reason, so I thought that was worth it as they are pricey and I wasn't sure if I would like it.

love my neato

Sewciable, 3 of mine are around 10 and one is 7. The Roomba won't hurt her if it hits her. It's just a gentle bump and it re-routes. My bare feet, and the cats, get bumped regularly with no problems, though they do get startled!

I loved my Neato also. I lost it in the flood. I had the Neato pet version. That thing was incredibly smart. It was basically the same power and suction as an upright just with out the handle, just the head. It was not a random pattern it went back and forth in straight lines as much as possible. If it ran out of charge it would return to the base to charge then it would take off, go right back to the exact spot it had been and continued on it's task. It starts by scanning the room and plots a path in it's memory and off it goes. Very impressive vacuum. I had some rooms without furniture in them and I put it in the room, shut the door and let it go. When I would open the door it looked exactly like a person had vacuumed it in nice straight lines. It gets in the corners too. And very easy to empty. It has a large bin. I watched comparison videos on you tube and they convinced me that the Neato was superior. I would love to have another one it's not in the budget now. I definitely recommend them.

I have wondered about these but it is not the bump to a cat that I would be concerned with since I have one long hair but the hair especially of the tail being sucked into it.

I had an off brand one that ended up in the trash. I spent more time with it than I would have just vacuuming. It got stuck constantly. I have 2 raised areas going from tile to wood and it could make it 1/2 way up & just stop. It did well under furniture which was a bonus.

I actually got it for free to review. Thank goodness nothing spent. My cordless Ion is much better for me!

Ok, so far the Neato seems to be the choice here (I've never heard of it). JeCrigler, what is a cordless Ion?

For those of you with a Neato, is this the one you have? Neato on Amazon. Hmmmm.....just checked out Fakespot and it seems that Fakespot has concluded that the reviews for the Neato on Amazon can't be trusted. Of course, I realize that Fakespot can't be 100% accurate.

Any other opinions? Oh - one other thing - we're not interested in having it work with Alexa or anything like that.

It’s a Shark Ion. Very light & so easy to use. Does an excellent job & goes anywhere.

It’s more work than my robot vacuum unless you count how many times I had to get off the couch to get it un-stuck.

Also, before I bought this I watched numerous comparison videos on YouTube for roomba vs neato as I don’t always trust the online written reviews either.

There’s a lot to watch. They both fair very well they vacuum completely different from each other.

maifleur, I can't imagine the suction is powerful enough to hurt a cat's tail. It might get run over if they don't move at all, but the vacuums aren't that fast so I can't imagine a cat would stay still long enough for that to happen.

Neato is a major name brand in these types of vacuums. The you tube videos show actual results so you can see they are not fake.

I had the allergy and pets model of the Neato.

The memory on my neato is fascinating. I ran it today. Love my neato, that my son gifted me with few years back.

I thought I posted this yesterday but it didn’t come through. Thanks for all of your comments. I don’t need an Ion Because we do have a stick vacuum and a canister vacuum. I’m specifically asking about a robotic vacuum that will do some work for me when I’m not pulling out something to do it myself. I’ve watched the YouTube videos and the Neato looks great. Of course, the Roomba looks great in YouTube videos, too. The $800 Roomba gets the best rating that I can find, but that is way above my price range. I appreciate everyone’s first hand experiences.

Did you see this? It’s onsale today on Amazon.

I have had two roombas. Was happy with them but the last one stopped charging way before it should have. It wouldn’t hold a charge. Replaced the batteries but that didn’t help. So I impulse bought a Shark. I expected lesser quality but I actually prefer it. Much easier to empty dust cup and it doesn’t seem to get the brushes tangled with hair like the roomas did. It works great for me but no pets here.

I’m not seeing it, either. Could you post a link, please?

I’m in Ohio. It looks like the deal expired already. Darn it!

Darn it, indeed! Oh well. Thanks for trying

I haven’t checked Amazon, but Groupon often has factory reconditioned Roombas on sale. Don’t know about the Neato brand but you could check around if you are willing to try one. Those look pretty good

Some decent prices on the Neato pet

https://www.google.com/search?q=neato+pet+allergy+vacuum&client=ms-android-att-us&prmd=svin&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq-Oini_LcAhUknq0KHSgdAUYQ_AUIESgB&biw=360&bih=524

Including bed bath and beyond. If you have a 20 %off coupon you can use it. If you don't, go to the website and register for one.

This is the exact one I had. There are some used and refurbished ones available for good price if you want to try one out.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F232807142195

I bought mine on eBay but it was new, open box.

I've had 2 Roombas in the past but they died too quickly for what I paid for them. Recently there was a deal recommended on tv for an off brand robot vac... I think I paid $89 for it. Can't think of the name. Anyhow, I hate it! Don't waste your money on a cheapie because this thing has no memory and it constantly goes in the same places and gets stuck. And then it just spins and keeps trying to move forward. I have to constantly check to see where it is because it doesn't beep if stuck.

Last year I purchased a robot mop due to our late dog's health issues that caused her to leak lymphatic fluid all over. It's an iRobot Braava mop and it's wonderful on hard surfaces. It rarely gets stuck and if it does it will beep till you find it. It dry and wet mops and I love it. I wish it vacuumed!