Miele Cat and Dog S7260

 Avg. consumer rating = 75/100 

The Miele Cat and Dog S7260 (now known as the Miele Dynamic U1 Cat & Dog) is part of Miele'’s S7 line of upright vacuum cleaners.  The Cat and Dog gets reasonable consumer ratings and is loaded with features.  Owners like the the look and feel of the unit with many commenting on the quality fit and finish. It has powerful suction yet still manages to be fairly quiet and is capable on both carpet and bare floors. It is also very effective at pulling up pet hair. The downsides of this machine are its weight, its cost, and, more recently, increasing problems over the lifetime of the vacuum.

Almost 2/3rds of US households have one or more pets so vacuums that specialize in dealing with pet hair are popular.  The Miele Cat and Dog is one of the more pricey options and is generally over $600, but a number of owners comment that they believe it is worth the price, and several indicate that after using the Cat and Dog their favorite vacuum brand is now Miele.  Should one be interested in a more “plain jane” S7 vacuum we have also reviewed the more affordable S7210 Twist.

A review of consumer comments has provided the following common Cat and Dog likes and dislikes:

PROS
- Excellent for vacuuming up pet hair
- Good on both hard surfaces and carpet
- Has settings for both low and high pile carpet
- Bag is easy to remove and replace
- Has a feeling of quality
- Gets under furniture easily
- Long power cord and hose
- It is quiet
- Creates odorless exhaust
- Strong suction
- Easy to push and turn

CONS
- Expensive
- A bit heavy
- Some folks find significant problems creeping in over time*

*There are reports of the vacuum simply refusing to turn on anymore and the machine also seems to clog easily in some cases.

Consumer ratings for this vacuum are both good and bad, and a list of those found online is provided in the table below:

 

The Miele Cat and Dog is manufactured in Germany unlike many vacuum cleaners today, and it is designed to last for at least 1000 hours of use.  At 50 hours per year (about an hour per week of vacuuming) this results in a 20 year lifespan for the vacuum. Of course if you vacuum more frequently this lifespan is reduced.

Like all Miele vacuum cleaners the Cat and Dog uses bags – in particular Miele Type U dust bags. These bags are easy to install and remove and also have a very large capacity of 5.45 quarts so replacement is not too frequent.  They have a spring-loaded self-locking collar which ensures that no dust escapes once the bag is removed from the vacuum.  In addition, the bags use 9-ply construction resulting in excellent filtration as well as bag toughness.  They do not tear or pierce easily even when pitted against nails or glass.  A full bag indicator is provided with this machine as well.

The vacuum is powered by Miele’s 1200 Watt high performance vortex motor.  This is a 2 fan motor (for more suction) and is also very efficient, producing 111 inches of water lift.  The motor is designed for longevity and the lifespan is estimated at over 1000 hours.  A second 4800 rpm motor drives the brushbar in the vacuum nozzle.

The brushbar on the Miele Cat and Dog is spring loaded so it “floats” at the optimal cleaning distance from the floor surface.  The vacuum also has fully automatic height adjustment so transitioning from carpet to bare floors is very easy.  In addition, the brushbar can be turned on and off via a switch conveniently located on the handle at your fingertips.  This is a very handy feature as one typically wants the brushbar “ON” when cleaning carpets and “OFF” when cleaning bare surfaces.  The vacuum power on/off is also located on the handle.

Several tools are provided with the Cat and Dog and these include the following:

- Mini Turbo Brush: this has an air-driven spinning brush that is 5.25 inches wide.  It is useful for cleaning pet hair from upholstery, stairs, vehicle interiors and hard to reach areas.  The brush also has a swivel neck for extra maneuverability.
- Dusting Brush: built with natural, soft bristles
- Upholstery Brush: good for removing pet hair from upholstery
- Crevice Nozzle: effective tool for getting into small cramped spaces
- Stainless steel: 2-piece, telescopic extension wand

The dusting brush, upholstery tool, crevice tool and extension wand store on board.

A great feature on many Miele vacuums is the ability to control the level of suction.  The S7260 has a dial with 4 suction settings: Smooth Flooring (highest setting), Low Pile, Deep Pile, and Curtains.

The Miele S7 uprights come with an automatic shut-off system that engages should something get vacuumed up into the brushes and get stuck (a sock or rug tassles for example). This feature prevents any potential damage to the belt or brushbar.

The S7260 has two filters - a pre-motor filter and an “Active Air Clean” filter.  The Active Air Clean filter is not quite HEPA-level but it will remove 99.95% of particles with a diameter of 0.5 microns or more.  It also contains active charcoal which has the ability to remove odors – a great feature for households with pets.  Should one wish to have a higher level of filtration a HEPA filter can be purchased and will fit the vacuum.  The Cat andDog also has “Sealed System Construction” which means that unfiltered air is not allowed to leak out of the vacuum casing or around the filters (ie.– all air that enters the vacuum is filtered before it leaves the vacuum).

In addition, the vacuum is able to lay down flat (horizontally) allowing it to more easily get under beds, couches, and other low furniture.  The low vacuum profile also helps in this regard.  Very flexible steering is provided by the patented SwivelNeck system (allows steering in all directions – see video link at bottom of article to view this feature).
 
Wheels on the Cat and Dog are soft and non-marring and they rotate a full 360 degrees providing additional manueverability. The machine also has rear wheels that extend to the ground allowing it to be moved easily from one place to the next.  These wheels are retracted via a foot switch.

A very lengthy 39 foot power cord is included with the Miele S7260.  It is our experience that anything less than 30 feet can be a cause for frustration and 39 feet is exceptionally long.  Cord wrap is manual however. The Miele Cat and Dog also sports an LED headlight (it uses 8 LEDs along the front of the nozzle to be precise), an automatic motor overheat shutoff feature, and a 12 foot long hose.  The cord, hose and extension wand together provide an impressive 54 foot cleaning reach.

The Miele Cat and Dog is not light and this is one of the few areas that owners indicate some discontent. At 22 lbs the vacuum is heavier than most uprights and would be a chore for some to move up and down stairs for example (although it is reportedly easy to push and turn).  It carries a 7-year warranty on the motor and 1-year on parts and labor.

---

NOTICE: In February 2015 Miele changed their global naming convention and the Miele Cat and Dog S7260 is now the Miele Dynamic U1 Cat and Dog.  The vacuums are the same.  If you want to see the latest customer reviews and information you can see the new Miele Cat & Dog on Amazon

---

Note: You may want to check the warranty with the retailer you buy from as we have seen several warranty variations published on the net.

Vacuum Cleaner Manual
If you want more vacuum cleaner details you can check out the vacuum manual here: Miele Cat & Dog Manual.