DIY Hicat® Adaptation

For customers who want to shorten a Hicat® for themselves there are basically two options available depending on the unit type - the first is to cut the excess height from the unit & refit the end cap, the second is to take a section from the middle of the unit & make up an MDF disc assembly to join the two sections together

Option One or Two?

The first option will always apply to Polecat, or Tomcat & Fatcat units that don’t have an Access Hole set at the bottom or top of the unit so a section can be easily removed, or units that just require a reduction in height of a few centimetres - the second applies to Tomcat & Fatcat units where Access Hole positioning wont allow the unit to be cut down so a section will need to be removed from the unit, which could also include the removal of a complete Access Hole section if required.

The following instructions have been written around adapting units finished in coir but the same methods apply to adapting units finished in AVM Wool as well noting that the wrapped end adaption works much better with AVM Wool.

It’s also worth checking out our various Love To Bits blogs & these include photos of some of the techniques used below to make cuts & finish the Wrapped End detail but may also serve as a bit of inspiration on what can be achieved.

Option 1

Shortening a unit is relatively straight forward depending on the way you finish the end cap after making the adaptation - you can either make a single cut then refit the end cap with an exposed end cap showing (this is the easy version) or two cuts that will enable you to dress the end cap with a wrapped end detail (more difficult).

Polecat can have either end adapted but as noted above Tomcat & Fatcat units without Access Holes at the base will have the bottom end cap adapted - the calculation for section being removed will simply be the difference in ceiling heights.

If you intend to carry out the easy adaptation then simply make the cut by marking up the the tube with masking tape on the section that is going to be discarded.

The cut is best made with a fine saw, either hand or jigsaw, & if using a jigsaw you can drill a small pilot hole on the cut line to get you started - you can also cut around the mark-up line with a craft knife before making the cut as this will help to stop strands fraying & pulling.

Making this cut is the tricky bit so double check your measuring up & make sure you’re marking up as accurately as possible - a common mistake is measuring from the coir edge rather than end cap so it’s important to use using a tape measure with a large end L-return to make sure you are measuring from the MDF face & not the coir edge.

Once the cut is made clean up the coir on the tube edge with secateurs.

Carefully strip back the coir from the top end cap using a flat headed screwdriver to prise the coir away from the inside edge of the end cap, pulling coir in small sections while you work around the disc - the coir may come away with a layer or two of the MDF stuck to it, which is normal, but the trick is to lever the coir away with as little MDF stuck to it as possible just in case you want to re-wrap the end cap as described later.

There will also be staples that need to be released from the end cap - use a small flat headed screwdriver to prise the staples & then remove fully with needle nose pliers if you have a pair.

Clean up the end cap & then glue it onto the tube making sure that the 5mm rebate that runs around the edge of the end cap is fully engaged into the tube - if you have a stapler you can also peel back the coir slightly around the edge & staple through to the inside edge of the end cap.

This completes the easy adaptation but you can use coir fibres made from the off coir off-cut to dress the edge around the end cap if you like & build up the height of this edge so it looks similar to the Wrapped End detail & also reduces the visible gap at the top of the unit & ceiling - cut the coir from the off-cut into 3-4mm long fibres & apply a bead of glue around the end cap edge then sprinkle the fibres on to the glue dabbing on fibres to form a neat detail around the edge of the end cap.

A hot melt glue gun is best for finishing the end cap as you can build up the edge with a number of separate beads & work the fibres into shape more easily than with contact or modelling adhesive.

If you want to adapt the unit with a more difficult wrapped end detail you will need to first make a cut longer than the new ceiling height so there is enough excess coir material to form the wrap on the end cap, normally at least 6cm - once the cut is made carefully release & strip back the coir from the tube to make a final cut to the new unit length.

You will then be all set to carry out the wrapped end detail as illustrated on our DIY Polecat page.

Option 2

If you are not able to shorten the unit at the top or bottom because of Access Hole positioning you will have to carry out the second adaptation option, which is to remove a section of the unit between Access Holes & fabricate an MDF assembly to join the cut pieces together - you can decide on the best position for the join in relation to Access Hole configuration noting that in some cases removing a section that includes a Access Hole is also an option.

You will end up with a join but this can finished with fibres to make it presentable or you can dress it with a Hicatch Toy band, which is what we recommend using on two piece units to cover the join, so factor this into the layout of the adaption - because Tomcat & Fatcat units have internal surfaces finishes these will need to be trimmed back after the cut has been made to allow the disc to be fitted. 

The calculation for section being removed will be the difference in ceiling heights plus the thickness of the MDF assembly that you decide on making - see below.

The section to be cut out should be centred between the Access Holes where possible & you will need to work around the shelf position if you have one between these holes & decide if you need to cut out the shelf completely or can work around it, which is preferred as it will be stronger after the adaption - typically a shelf will sit 200mm below the centre of the Access Hole above it & you need to make sure that after making the cut you have enough room to form rebates up to the shelf – see below. 

As per Option 1, once you’ve worked out your dimensions you can use masking tape to mark-up the position of the cuts noting that it’s best to place the tape over the section to be cut out, not the sections that are remaining, as when you remove the tape you may fray the coir fibres when pulling it off. 

The cuts are best made with a fine saw, either hand or jigsaw, & if using a jigsaw you can drill a small pilot hole on the cut line to get you started - using a blade to cut around the line before making the cut will also help stop the weaved strands fraying & pulling.

Making these cuts are the tricky bit so double check your measuring up & make sure you’re marking up as accurately as possible - a common mistake is measuring from the coir edge rather than end cap so it’s important to use a tape measure with a large end L-return to make sure you’re measuring from the MDF face & not the coir edge.

Once you’ve made the cuts clean up the coir edges on the two halves with secateurs but hang on to the off-cut for later. 

Now you need to make up a MDF disc assembly that is the same size as the internal diameter as the core i.e. 305mm for Tomcat & 400mm for Fatcat & thick enough to be used as a rebated collar that fits into each section & is fixed in place - one 9mm disc for the join & two 9mm collars for the rebates, screwed together, will do the job but you can double, triple or quadruple up on the collars to get a more secure connection between rebated sections or simply use thicker MDF to make up the disc assembly.

An easy way to get the collar diameter marked up is to take a long strip of MDF scrap & drill a pilot hole, 152mm or 200mm depending on unit type, from one end then put a screw or nail through the pilot & scribe a circle with a pencil on the edge that you’ve measured from - it’s best to have a really tight fit for these rebated collars so cut over over rather than under these measurements so that you can file down them if necessary.

Once you’ve decided on the thickness of the collars you need to cut away the internal finish at the cut ends so that the Twist Pile doesn’t interfere with the MDF disc assembly when its installed i.e. if you are using two 22mm collars for each rebate you will need to cut 44mm of the internal Twist Pile away from the inside edges of each section.

At this point you can also decide whether you want to cut out an aperture in the MDF disc assembly to make it a climb-through join – you can also paint the disc or even cover each side in fabric as long as you make an additional allowance to the internal Twist Pile cut away from each section.

Apply a PVA or wood glue between discs & the fix securely with screws then check the fit into the sections - as noted above the fit should be as tight as possible & you can file down the edges so that they are slightly tapered to help locate the the collars into place.

When you’re happy with the fit of MDF disc assembly in both sections & with your cats safely located in another room assemble stand up the bottom section & fit the collar half way into the core - apply a generous bead of PVA or wood glue around the inside edge of the core & then work back the coir on the outside edge to get a staple fixing or tack with pins through into the collar.

Next assemble the top unit using the same fixing process noting that you obviously have the option of rotating the upper & lowered access holes in different positions - also, if you’ve used a MDF disc assembly with collars thicker than18mm you will need to tilt the unit slightly to locate the top section over the bottom section because of the restriction in ceiling height.

You’ll need the unit to set for at least 24 hours in a standing position so make sure that your cats are not allowed to play on it & that it’s safely secured - while waiting you can make up some fibres to use to cover the join.

Take the off-cut & trim off the coir strands into 3-4mm long fibres then glue these into the cut seam - if you have a hot melt glue gun this works best as you can run a small bead of glue between ribs & along the cut then sprinkle some fibres over the glue & then dab on more fibres to form a neat seam.

When doing this also make sure that any stray strands are glued into position so the seam doesn’t fray when climbed - we would recommend doing this finishing even if you’re planning to wrap a Hicatch band over the joint as it will help long term with wear & tear. 

Good luck with your project & if you have any questions regarding the above notes please get in touch.