The loss is about company, not just mobility
A cat who once trailed her people from kitchen to sofa to bed was not exercising — she was keeping company. When stiff legs, weak muscles or tiredness end those patrols, she may spend the day in one room while family life happens elsewhere, and that separation is the real problem to solve. She does not need to be carried around the house like a parcel. She needs the household to reorganise slightly so that being near people is once again the easiest thing in her day, and so she can join in at the pace her body allows.
Create one well-chosen home base
Pick the room where your family genuinely spends its evenings and build her base there: a low, supportive bed with raised edges she can lean against, set out of draughts but within sight and earshot of the sofa, with water and a low-sided tray a short, flat walk away. A low step or ramp up to a favoured armchair seat lets her still claim a place beside someone without being lifted. Keep a second simple resting pad in the room where mornings happen — by the kitchen table, for example — and carry her there gently if she enjoys it, supporting her chest and hindquarters, so her day still has more than one scene.
Carry the rituals to her
The small ceremonies of cat ownership are portable. Brush her where she lies, at the time you always brushed her. Bring the wand toy to her bed and play at floor level, dragging it slowly within paw reach so she can bat without standing. Let children read or draw beside her bed rather than hauling her to them, and make a household habit of stopping for a stroke and a few words whenever anyone passes her spot. If she always supervised cooking, a sturdy perch or bed with a view of the kitchen restores her role without demanding a journey. Involvement, for an old cat, is mostly about being included in the ordinary.
Include her without overwhelming her
Company should arrive in doses she can enjoy. A lively gathering, visiting dogs or a houseful of grandchildren can turn her base from a haven into a trap if she cannot leave, so keep an escape route to a quieter room open and watch for the early signs she has had enough — turning her head away, flattening her ears, shifting repeatedly as if trying to get comfortable. At those moments, move the activity or move her, whichever is kinder, and let her rest unvisited for a while. Short, willing participation beats a long afternoon of being passed around for cuddles she did not choose.
Everyone knowing the same cat
As mobility shrinks, small misunderstandings grow: one person lifts her under her front legs, another keeps offering her a lap she can no longer climb to, a third forgets her evening routine has moved downstairs. Agree as a household how she is lifted, where her base is, what gentle play she still enjoys, and when to leave her sleeping. A cat who is handled the same kind way by everyone stays confident about joining in. The relatives you choose can open her profile themselves through KinsLe Family Sharing.