Audit her jumps before buying anything
Walk her day with fresh eyes and list every jump she currently makes: up onto the bed, down from the sofa arm, up to the window perch, in and out of a high-sided litter tray, onto the chair where her food sits away from the dog. Most homes find four or five real jumps, and one or two of them — usually the long drop down from the bed or perch — are doing the damage. Steps and ramps belong at those specific places, in that order of harm, not scattered decoratively around the house.
Steps or ramp: matching the aid to the cat
Steps suit a cat who still climbs confidently but needs the height broken into smaller rises: choose two or three broad, deep steps rather than a tall narrow staircase, each tread wide enough for her whole body and surfaced in carpet or another grip she trusts. Ramps suit the stiffest cats, cats with sore front legs who hate the step-up motion, and descents, where a slope spares the jarring landing that steps still ask for. Keep the slope gentle — a long, shallow ramp she walks is better than a short steep one she slides on — and add a raised edge or rail side if she is wobbly, so a misstep becomes a lean rather than a fall.
The details that decide whether she uses it
Cats vote with their feet, and they reject aids that wobble, slide, or smell strange. Anchor every step and ramp so it cannot shift under her weight, butt it flush against the furniture with no gap for a paw, and run the route in a straight, obvious line from where she approaches. Put a familiar-smelling blanket on a new ramp for the first days, lure the first climbs with treats placed on each tread, and never lift her onto it repeatedly, which teaches her the contraption is something done to her. A night-light along the route to the litter tray matters more than owners expect, because senior eyes adjust slowly in the dark.
The places owners forget
The litter tray is the critical one: a step up outside and a low entry, or swapping to a tray with one cut-down side, can be the difference between a clean senior and accidents she is ashamed of. Food and water raised on a low platform shortens another daily climb. If she sleeps on your bed, the step belongs on the side she actually uses, which you can learn by watching for two nights rather than guessing. Outside, a step at the cat flap or back door extends the same courtesy to her garden route.
When aids stop being enough
If she starts avoiding a ramp she had accepted, falls from a low step, or cannot manage even broken-down heights, that is a progression to discuss with your veterinarian rather than a cue to build taller furniture. Pain control, weight, and muscle loss all sit underneath how much architecture can help. Review the setup every few months as she changes. Consistency at home protects the whole system: with KinsLe Family Sharing, the steps and routes she depends on can sit in her shared profile for everyone who lives with or helps her, so a well-meaning tidy-up never quietly removes the one step between her and the bed.