Start from the route she already takes
Watch your cat approach the sofa before you buy or place anything. Stiff cats are creatures of fixed routes: she will come from one direction, pause at one familiar spot, and look up at one favourite cushion. Put the ramp or steps exactly there, meeting the sofa edge beside that cushion, rather than at the tidier corner you would prefer. A ramp that asks her to change her route as well as her method is two changes at once, and old cats commonly refuse the pair. If she usually gets up via an armchair or a footstool, that halfway staging post is your clue to the height and spacing she can still manage comfortably.
Slope, grip and stability decide acceptance
Between steps and a ramp, choose by watching how she moves: cats who still lift each leg willingly often prefer broad, shallow steps with low rises, while cats who shuffle or drag slightly do better on a continuous ramp with a gentle gradient — long and low beats short and steep every time. Whatever you choose must not rock, slide or flex under her weight, because one wobble teaches lasting distrust. Set it on a rug or add rubber feet, push it snugly against the sofa so there is no gap for a paw to slip into, and cover the surface with carpet or textured matting. Test it yourself with firm hand pressure at every point before inviting her near it.
Teach it as a discovery, not a lesson
Never lift a stiff cat onto a ramp to demonstrate; being placed on a strange slope feels like being stranded. Instead, let her investigate it empty, then lay a short trail of favourite treats up the slope, one near the bottom, one halfway, one on the sofa cushion, and wait. Most cats work the puzzle out within a few attempts spread over a day or two. Praise her quietly when she uses any part of it, and practise at her most active time of day, not when she is sleepy. If she jumps or scrambles past it, do not block her — but make the ramp route more rewarding until it becomes her own idea, which for cats is the only kind of idea that sticks.
Check the landing and the way down
Owners plan the ascent and forget that a stiff cat dreads the descent more, because landing loads sore front legs and shoulders. The ramp must serve both directions, reaching a part of the sofa where she can turn around comfortably, with no cushions cliff-edge to negotiate at the top. Watch her come down several times in the first week: if she hesitates, rushes, or slides, the slope is too steep or the surface too slick, whatever the packaging promised. Also check that the ramp does not create a trap — a narrow passage beside it where she could be cornered by a dog or a toddler will make her avoid the whole area.
Maintain trust with small daily checks
Give the ramp a quick shake test whenever you pass it for the first fortnight, tighten anything that loosens, and brush grit or loose hair off the surface so her footing stays predictable. Keep a couple of treats appearing at the top now and then so the route stays associated with good outcomes, and note who in the household moves the ramp for vacuuming — it must go back to the identical spot and angle, because a ramp shifted even slightly is, to her, a new object to assess. KinsLe's Care Teams helps keep those checks and treat-trail practices from being forgotten by assigning them for your senior cat to named helpers, each confirmed complete with a timestamp.