Polecat Safety Check
We recently heard from separate customers whose much-loved Polecats had become unstable after being in use for some time, which has prompted us to make a few changes to our install page - Polecat is a little different from our larger Floor-To-Ceiling units because its smaller footprint & mass means that it needs to be levelled out more precisely on its three feet to stay stable as any small movement during enthusiastic climbing and play can cause the ceiling connector or feet to work loose, particularly on units installed on a smooth hard floor.
Our home has a wooden floor & our Floor-To-Ceiling Polecat was in use for 10 years without any issues before it was rehomed along with our Wall Mounted Fatcat - there were a couple of instances where we felt some movement in the unit but making some fine adjustments to the Polecat position immediately stopped this movement without having to add back up options like foam discs, non-slip mat or velcro coins to the feet as noted in the Polecat Install notes & FAQs.
We became very good at making these small adjustments to find the sweet spot where all three feet were making even contact with the floor - we used to regularly clean under the Polecat, which meant moving the bottom of the unit then repositioning it afterwards & this particular micro-adjustment technique was missing from the notes on the install page so these have now been added.
The AVM Mini-Disc Polecat in the studio also sits on a hard floor & undergoes the same wobble check as it’s prone to being bumped into & moved slightly out of position in the main entrance - couriers sometimes inadvertently knock into it so it needs to be checked & visitors often carry out their own impromptu wobble test to see how stable it is.
Checking that the feet are firmly screwed onto the base & that the ceiling connector is properly engaged is already covered in the install instructions - we recommend carrying this out on a monthly basis but it’s also worth giving the unit what we will now call a “wobble” safety check when you’re playing with your cats on the unit so have added this as well.
We’ve also decided to start sending customers a short follow-up after taking delivery of their Polecat reminding them to check the feet, alignment & ceiling connection once the unit has settled in plus remind them to carry out the wobble check from time-to-time - a few seconds checking now and again should make sure that you don’t have any downtime with your Polecat.
