The REAL Reason My Vacuum Cleaner Wouldn't Suck

I have five cats, so I deal daily with copious amounts of cat hair.  A good vacuum is essential.  Did I mention that when I had dogs it was dog hair?  And the interesting fact is that I am allergic to both cats and dogs.  But I have always had either or both.  It is something I just deal with, just like my allergy to mold (I live in the Pacific Northwest for crying out loud) and dust (I'm an archivist and avid reader and lover of books).  I took allergy shots for five years but that is another story.  The most recent thing that has not been working at my house (and there are often at least two to three of these things at any given moment) is my amazing, wonderful German vacuum cleaner.  After checking the bag (it was not even close to full) and praying, "God, please don't let it be going out yet.  I believe in German engineering," I reluctantly pulled out the rotating brush to pull all of MY hair out of it, and noticed a little flap door on the bottom of the vacuum that had a compartment behind it that went up towards where the hose attaches.  It was plugged with all kinds of stuff, things not worth repeating....like things the vacuum was picking up were not getting through to the hose, and thus the bag.  AHA moment....maybe SOMETHING was stuck in that opening blocking things from getting through!  Hmmmmm.  Sticking my hand as far up inside there as possible, I felt something....something vaguely familiar.....spongey, rubbery...what the hell was that?  Then I got the flashlight.  It's orange.  No, it's blue.  No, it appears to be half orange and half blue.  Two pairs of pliers, a pair of scissors, and a pair of forceps we bought at First Monday Trade Days in Canton, TX later, it was out.  A foam rubber cat ball.  There's a lesson here, although I'm not sure what it is....