Which robot vacuum works the best on pet hair? After testing, my cats and I chose our top picks for 2026.
I've tested 30+ vacuums in a home with cats. Here are my recommendations for the best robot vacuum for pet hair on carpet and hardwood.
Though most of the conversation around pet hair pickup will involve how well that robot vacuum performs on carpet, pets don't stop shedding when they cross over to a hardwood or tiled floor. If your home has a pretty even split of both types of flooring, you should eye one of the best robot vacuum and mop combos for pet hair on hard floors. Strong suction power alone isn't always guaranteed to pull up every tiny strand of fur (especially fur that has blown into the corners of the room), and fine dust like pet dander and kitty litter is stubborn to be sucked up as well. In that case, a wet mopping pad using pressure to wipe is much less likely to leave finer debris behind.
SEE ALSO: 'Why does my robot vacuum suck now?' Well, when's the last time you cleaned it?Thorough pet hair pickup is rooted in suction power, of course, but brush roll design plays a major role in how well a robot vacuum can pull pet hair out of soft flooring — and how often all that fur gets tangled. You'll want to look for at least 20,000 Pa of suction power for homes with multiple pets, though 30,000 Pa or more would be optimal. The brush roll's material should alternate between rubber or silicone fins and bristles, and ideally break in the middle as a method of preventing wrapping.
Recent changes to this guide
July 2026: The new, much more powerful Roomba Max 715 replaces the Roomba 705 Max as the best vacuum-only robot vacuum for pet here (and the best Roomba for pet hair).
February 2026: The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete takes over as the best robot vacuum for pet hair on carpet, replacing the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller. The Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow takes over as the best robot vacuum for pet hair on hardwood, replacing the Roborock Saros 10R.
September 2025: I added the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller as the best robot vacuum for pet hair on carpet and shifted the Roborock Saros 10R (previously named the best robot vacuum overall) to the best robot vacuum for pet hair on hard floors.
July 2025: I removed the Shark Matrix RV2300S robot vacuum from this guide. While it was a solid budget mopping robot vacuum for its first year or so on the market, it's now a little bit too basic compared to other newer budget robot vacuums.
June 2025: I replaced the Shark Matrix RV2300S with the 3i G10+ as the best budget robot vacuum for pet hair. While the Shark was a solid budget cleaner when it first came out, its suction power isn't nearly as strong as the 18,500 Pa of the 3i G10+. The 3i G10+ also has small obstacle avoidance and a pet camera.