The Cat Lady Review

Before I purchase pretty much any product, I research it and read reviews. It’s actually become somewhat of an annoying habit, since it still doesn’t help me make a decision quickly and it makes my head spin. However, occasionally I stumble upon a rare comedic gem, which does make it all worth while.

Of course, I don’t just read the positive reviews. The negative ones are actually more important, since they highlight all the flaws the product has. In this particular case, I was interested in purchasing a stick vacuum for hard floors that promised to be great at removing pet hair, as our new house doesn’t have any carpets and we have lots of animals. Out of the 182 reviews for this particular vacuum, only two people gave the product the lowest rating of one star. Before I even got a chance to read them, my husband called out: “You know they’re going to be cat ladies, right?” And, indeed, he was not mistaken.

I love cats! We have two of them here and I have volunteered at a local rescue organization to help cats in need. However, cat ladies still amuse me. In this case, the first cat lady complained about the air flow out of the vacuum. The second one- well, read for yourself:

I purchased this in April, 2010 because I have a sanctuary for special needs cats and I am tired of using the vacuum I have that uses bags.

Totally immature, but I already cannot contain my laughter. I am picturing a post-war type scene in which cats are sitting around with bandages and walking on crutches.

 I use this 95% in my litter box room because I cannot stand the floor being dirty.

Oh wow, a room just with litter boxes. First of all, I’m sure it smells lovely in there. Secondly, if these special needs cats are anything like my healthy ones, half their litter is catapulted from the boxes each day in the process of digging/ scratching/ covering stuff up (ok, my cats actually never manage to cover anything up, but they must be trying…)

 I clean the vacuum out every two weeks so that all the filters, etc. are cleaned, and still I have no more suction. I can vacuum over and over on a single piece of floor and it just moves the litter around.

At this point, I am shocked! Does this lady mean to say that this lovely machine for under $50 is not able to function anymore after being clogged up with clay litter on a daily basis?!? Ludicrous! What a piece of garbage! I hope she sues these criminals for producing such a useless machine.

It is a flimsy machine, so it doesn't do well on edges. I called Bissell last week and the only thing they could suggest was that I drive 45 minutes to their authorized shop to bring it in.

What? Bissell isn’t sending out their special unit that takes care of household emergencies like this one? I was under the impression that this would be part of their service when buying the vacuum.

I've purchased a lot of Bissell products over the years, but this was the last. I now use a rubber broom and a dust pan - that does a much better job than this vacuum.

And there you have it. So, if you expect a cheap household product to be highly efficient in an area it is not made to be used in, you may be disappointed. If you are and you write a review, please be sure to let me know so I can have a good laugh.