About two weeks ago we were driving out of our neighborhood when we noticed an old couple outside with a couple of pet stairs that they labeled “free.” I stopped and mentioned that I had an older cat that might benefit from them. She said that she had them for her cat. I assumed the cat died but I didn’t pursue it.
I have been unsure about Chris’s capabilities lately. When I am sitting at my computer he scratches at my legs to get me to pick him up. He used to just jump on my lap but that ship sailed over a year ago. He also scratches at my legs or cries at me when I am sitting on the sofa, even though I know he can jump onto the sofa when I am not there.
In the bedroom, he jumps onto the footboard and then continues up from there. It is usually one fluid motion but lately, he seems to struggle to get onto the bed. He looks like someone who has slid off a cliff and is trying to pull himself back up.
I thought the stairs would be a big help so I put one in the bedroom and one in the living room next to the sofa. He didn’t use it at first and I had to put him on it a couple of times but he soon got the hang of it. I originally had it in front of my nightstand but my wife feared I would trip over it at night so she pushed the nightstand over and put it where it is now in the photo.
Having it this way does make more sense. It also means that Chris has to stop at the top and turn before getting on the bed but he quickly got the hang of that.
The stairs by the sofa are another story. Chris never used them and would either just jump onto the sofa or ask me to pick him up. I decided instead to put them next to my office chair. My hope was that he would climb the stairs to get on my lap.
So far he has never attempted to climb those stairs. He always just scratches my legs until I pick him up. They aren’t totally useless though. When I have to get up I sort of guide him to the stairs as I stand up. He then walks down the stairs and follows me, hoping this will be the time I will open the container of kibble.
I guess this is our reality now. Chris is not getting any younger or any lighter and I don’t expect that to change, although it would be helpful if I could get him to lose a few pounds.
Bad Cat Chris 
Those stairs were a nice find. For both you and Chris.
It really is helpful in the bedroom.
It’s so hard when our pets age.
It sure is. I think his weight is more of a problem then his age, although I do think he has mild arthritis.
Those are nice stairs, we used to have them for our Angel Gracie, she used them all of the time.
I wish he didn’t need them but it is good we have them now.
Our small senior dogs snubbed some great stairs for almost a year. Now they use them all the time. I think they were reluctant to admit they needed them. Now, they love them!
So much like people.
Ha, ha! You are right.
Poor baby. It’s hard to watch them age and slow down. And, some of the “pick me up” stuff can be a bit of “pitiful kitty syndrome.” LOL! “I pitiful. Um…pick me up, please. I little…” *wink*
He does seem to be using it for attention.
Little dogs have the same syndrome. LOL!
🙂
Stairs are a help – it’s hard to watch them struggle to do things they used to do easily….
Hugs, Pam
It sure is. I would like to help him more, like get him to lose weight, but my efforts haven’t worked.
It’s one of the toughest things to do…..I worry about Teddy in that regard too but his vet says his blood work is perfect. Would “like” for him to lose 5 lbs. over the next year though.
My kitty boy, Andy, sometimes misses when he hops from one surface to another. At 10+, he may be showing his age. He doesn’t seem to have arthritis or any medical condition that contributes to his misses, and his weight is just right for his size, according to his veterinarian. All said, though, this solution for getting up to his favorite places may be down the road for him, too. The hardest part won’t be getting him to use the stairs or me picking him up (he doesn’t like being picked up!), it’ll be me accepting him getting older.
I bought stairs for dude, and it took awhile for him to get used to using them… going
up and down, more so down. it seemed he needed a minute to “focus” on going
down if this makes sense. hoping chris gets used to them ♥
Stairs can’t hurt. It’s good for Chris to have a choice. Mom got me a ramp for her bed. I use it 99% of the time. Once in a while, I lose my mind and jump on and off the bed like a maniac.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
If you can jump on the bed, I say go for it.
We were convinced that for whatever reason Kommando couldn’t jump, even when she was a kitten. What we finally figured out was that she was very young when she was abandoned at our house. Snoops more or less raised her. Snoops (we think) had been somewhat abused and was very timid about getting on things. In retrospect, I think Kommando never really learned how to jump because she didn’t see Snoops doing it. Then I got in the habit of picking her up. She still climbs onto things rather than jumping. It’s kind of embarrassing when other people are around.
That is strange. I would think jumping is instinctual.
She can do it when she chooses. She just got lazy
I can relate to that. 🙂