There's an unspoken rule in comedic fiction: vacuum cleaners and animals do not mix well. In many cases, it's because of the loud noise that vacuums make, which most animals hate; their hearing often being much more sensitive than a human's may have something to do with that. For dogs
and cats, at least, this is Truth in Television, to the point where some companies have recently attempted, with varying levels of success, to create "pet-safe" vacuums that don't produce the loud noises that often result in this trope.
Of course, Fictionland tends to apply this trait to any other animal regardless of how good or bad their sense of hearing is; smaller animals like rodents and insects in particular have more to fear from being sucked into the vacuum itself than the noise it produces, but the gag still applies. In some cases, it may even result in the animal engaging in open warfare against the vacuum in a bid to destroy the loud, scary menace, and in more cartoonish works, the vacuum might even come alive and actively chase after the hapless creature. Note however that this trope applies only when the animal has enmity or fear towards a mundane, non-sentient vacuum cleaner, and if the vacuum comes to life to attack them, it's only for the sake of comedy. Vacuums that are actively malicious outside of humor are a different if related trope.
This is a frequent occurrence in lighthearted works with pets in a prominent role, talking or not, although it may also turn up in more serious Xenofiction told from the animals' perspective. And in some cases, not even therianthropes, Beast Men, or Little Bit Beastly characters may be safe.
For the record, this trope's name is a Pun on the phrase "nature abhors a vacuum". See also Vicious Vac, where the vacuum is a danger to everyone rather than just pets, and Automobiles Are Alien, which covers animals being scared of another, much more dangerous manmade device. Also compare with Cats Hate Water, Dogs Hate Squirrels, and Animals Fear Neutering for other tropes about things pets hate or fear.
Examples:
- Dear Kitten: Cat, in voiceover, advises Kitten on "the monster known as Vack Oom".
Cat: It can eat and yell at the same time. And I've seen it eat everything. Seriously, like, a paper clip and two cat toys. Didn't even flinch. (shows Cat behind curtains) To hide from Vack Oom, you may use the Curtains of Invisibility. (Kitten peeks out from behind scratching post) Oh, yeah. You're good. Good hiding.
- The Helpful Fox Senko-san arrives in Kuroto Nakano's life to reduce his stress, and abate the miasma of gloom that he unknowingly exudes. One chore she tries to do for him is to tidy up his apartment, and she turns on a vacuum cleaner. Once it's running, however, she's terrified of it, and hides beneath the bedcovers, swatting the device with a hand duster. Senko-san is technically a kitsune, a foxlike demigoddess that can assume humanoid form when needed.
- The Far Side: Implied as a Visual Pun in the 19 October 1992 strip, which depicts a woman nervously pushing a vacuum cleaner down a forest path, with a crow looking on interestedly. The strip is captioned:
"The woods were dark and foreboding, and Alice sensed that sinister eyes were watching her every step. Worst of all, she knew that Nature abhorred a vacuum."
- In one strip of Get Fuzzy, Rob, Bucky, and Satchel are going to a Halloween party. Satchel goes to change into his costume, and comes out dressed as a vacuum, with a sign reading "Dirt devil! Run away!" Bucky congratulates him for making a really scary costume.
- Marmaduke, despite being a huge dog, is known to be terrified of vacuum cleaners.
- Mother Goose and Grimm: Many strips are devoted to Grimm's fear of Mother Goose's vacuum cleaner, which is sentient and malicious.
- Off the Mark: In one strip, a dog couple apologizes about their dirty floor, but their guests, also dogs, say it's fine because they're scared of their vacuum cleaner, too.
- In this Pokémon Black and White fanart, Ghetsis is running the vacuum cleaner and wearing a snuggie while N and Zorua are angrily barking at it.
- The Secret Life of Pets: When Pops has to clear out a party so he can talk to the housepets in private, he gets one of them to turn on a vacuum cleaner. The rest of the party-goers promptly have a Mass "Oh, Crap!" and make a break for it, with the pet-controlled vacuum chasing after them.
- Captain Underpants: In George and Harold's first Dog Man comic, the villain Petey creates a robotic vacuum cleaner to suck up all the money from a nearby bank. Dog Man chases after it, but is terrified by it and runs away. It chases after him but ends up not being able to go any further when its extension cord falls out of the socket it's plugged into, allowing Dog Man to defeat it.
- In The Devious Book for Cats, the chapter "The Vacuum Cleaner: a Vortex of Terror" is all about how scary vacuum cleaners are to cats.
- In The Way Things Work, the illustration of a vacuum cleaner has a cat caught inside its bag. This is implied to be the work of mice.
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf: When visiting the (human) player's house, villagers (who are all Funny Animals) may occasionally comment on how clean the place is when spoken to. They immediately get worried and ask if the player has "one of those vroom-vroom thingies," stating that "those scare the heck out of me!"
- RWBY Chibi: An early skit shows that Zwei isn't too fond of the vacuum Weiss uses to clean the dorm. As shown in the sole line of dialogue from that skit, he isn't the only one, either:
- Simon's Cat:
- In "The Monster", Simon's Cat pounces on the vacuum cleaner (which isn't even doing anything at the time). After batting at it a few times, he somehow manages to accidentally turn it on, sucking in his arm and his tail before he manages to get away and bring back a baseball bat and beat it into submission. The vacuum gets the last laugh when the cat accidentally triggers the retractable vacuum cord, which whacks him a few times.
- In "The Monster Returns", Simon's Kitten goes into the closet, causing the vacuum nozzle to fall out and scare Simon's Cat. After getting lured into a false sense of security, the Kitten once again accidentally turns the vacuum on, which tries to suck both of them in before they shut it in the closet and it blows up.
- Batman: Wayne Family Adventures: In "Haley", Dick provides superhero narration for his puppy Haley. Whatever villain Haley is fighting in Dick's hammy narration, she's attacking the vacuum cleaner in real life. Tim, who's trying to use it, isn't pleased.
- In Breaking Cat News, the cats do a Public Service Announcement on "vacuum cleaner preparedness."
Puck: If a vacuum cleaner appears, seek shelter immediately. Remember: "If it's not a broom, leave the room."
- Family Guy: Brian, being a dog, is scared of the vacuum cleaner. In one episode, Peter shoots the vacuum, though for unrelated reasons; Brian comes in, sees the "dead" vacuum, and says, "Whoever did this, thank you."
- In "Peter's Daughter" after Brian and Stewie accidentally kill an electrician they hired in an explosion, Stewie states that Brian will go to Doggy Hell. The Cutaway Gag shows Satan tormenting dogs with a vacuum cleaner.
- In "Brian Goes Back to College", Lois pressures Brian into going back to take his final exams by bringing out "Mr. Hoover." She then chases Brian around the living room with the vacuum cleaner while he panics and barks until he finally relents and goes to take the test.
- In Season 2 of FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, the kids are sent to investigate a mystery on an island. According to legend, the island, which dogs call Dogtopia and cats call Catlantis, was home to a grand civilization in which cats and dogs lived together until they turned on each other and the feud brought an end to their society. Searching for clues, the kids find that the dogs and cats blamed each other for a terrible noise, which turns out to have been made by enormous vacuum cleaners.
- Looney Tunes: "I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat", an All-CGI Cartoon which uses archived audio of the song of the same name, at one point has Tweety switch on a vacuum cleaner as Sylvester is coming after him. Much to the cat's horror, the vacuum promptly sucks him inside, drives itself wildly around the apartment the short takes place in, and catapults him out the window.
- The Loud House: In the short "So Long, Sucker", Lynn Sr. gets an automated vacuum cleaner that the family pets hate (though, unlike most examples of the trope, it annoys them instead of scaring them). The pets spend the whole short trying to get rid of the vacuum.
- Martha Speaks: In "Martha's Holiday Surprise", Mittens the cat runs away because she's afraid of her owner's vacuum cleaner.
- Phineas and Ferb: In one episode, Phineas creates an animal translator, and one of the most frequent complaints that they get is about the vacuum cleaner. One of the fireside girls is telling one of the animals making such a complaint to just let it all out.
- Regular Show: In "Cat Videos", when Mordecai, Rigby, and Benson were turned into cats, one of their opponents to the exit is a sapient vacuum cleaner.
- Sabrina: The Animated Series: In "Wag the Witch", Salem (a warlock transformed into a cat) gets chased by Uncle Quigley with a vacuum cleaner for leaving a hairball in the latter's slippers.
- Terrytoons: "Taming the Cat" (a Heckle and Jeckle cartoon that was submitted for Oscar consideration, but not nominated) climaxes with the two birds pursuing the cat attempting to eat them by riding aboard a somehow self-propelled vacuum cleaner.
- On Quora, in response to the question "What is the kindest thing a pet has done for you?", one user◊ posted about their parents' dog, Charlie. He was terrified of the vacuum cleaner, but once they were born, Charlie would stand between them and the vacuum cleaner every time their mother used it, determined to protect them.
