Cat Condo / activity scratching Pole repair kit. (For owners of fat cats)

cults3d

As owners of two sizeable cats (a Norwegian Forest Cat and a Maine Coon cross), our cat scratchers and activity trees often find themselves obscured. Recently, one of the nesting baskets broke away from its peers, plummeting earthwards with 9Kg of indignant feline on board. The construction of these pieces of furniture leaves much to be desired, as plastic inserts are simply stapled into cardboard tubes. These staples inevitably work loose, allowing the tube to detach. To address this issue, I created a repair kit comprising a printed insert that snugly fits inside the tube and a drilling jig for precise drilling of the cardboard tube. This setup enables a sturdy fix. The insert can be glued in place or secured with M4 screws for a more engineered solution. The components utilize original M10 x 30mm pan head screws, but you'll need to obtain standard M10 nuts and M4 x 20mm screws to secure the insert unless you opt for glue. One jig is sufficient; simply print as many inserts as needed. V1.1 has a diameter of approximately 54mm, while V1.2 measures 53mm. Upon measuring one of my poles, I discovered it had stretched at the end and the larger insert was too tight. Reducing the diameter resolved the issue, but I left the original design intact for potential use. While this solution may not benefit many people, sharing it might prove helpful to someone else. Comments are welcome.