For the owners of long-haired felines or shedderific canines, the iRobot is the answer to your vacuuming dreams. I would recommend, however, purchasing the iRobot equipped with the new "pet-friendly" brushes. I've had to replace the traditional brushes 2 times already, and I've only had the Roomba for 6 months. I do have an unusual amount of pet hair tumbleweeds from my golden retreiver, but I'm pretty diligent about cleaning out the brushes after every other use. The pet hair wraps around the piece of the brush that holds the brush in place, which is very difficult to clean out. The heat generated by the machine semi-melts the little plastic piece, and the hair moves in the transform the shape of the piece so that it eventually falls out or prevents brush rotation. I haven't yet purchased the pet-friendly brushes, but I have faith in the robotic designers practicality.